*** Shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize ***

Susan Midalia's Review

British-Indian author Chetma Maroo’s debut novel deals with a grieving family, a young girl’s coming of age and the overcoming of adversity through sport. Although the content sounds predictable, if not overdone in the current literary market, Western Lane is distinguished by its stylistic poise and emotional restraint. Maroo uses looks, gestures, tones of voice and silences to suggest the inner lives of three motherless sisters, their widowed father, and a solicitous uncle and aunt.

The novel’s central metaphor, the game of squash, is used to explore the complexities of youthful ambition, paternal love, interracial tension and psychological displacement as a means of dealing with loss. Recently shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize, Western Lane creates a compassionate portrait of its characters, the pathos of unexpressed suffering, and the tentative possibility of recovery.

Other Reviews

'WOW. Western Lane is glorious. You'll want to read it over and over again.' - Aravind Adiga, author of The White Tiger