Tomb of Sand

Her determination to fly in the face of convention – including striking up a friendship with a hijra (trans) woman – confuses her bohemian daughter, who is used to thinking of herself as the more ‘modern’ of the two.

To her family’s consternation, Ma insists on travelling to Pakistan, simultaneously confronting the unresolved trauma of her teenage experiences of Partition, and re-evaluating what it means to be a mother, a daughter, a woman, a feminist.

Rather than respond to tragedy with seriousness, Geetanjali Shree’s playful tone and exuberant wordplay results in a book that is engaging, funny, and utterly original, at the same time as being an urgent and timely protest against the destructive impact of borders and boundaries, whether between religions, countries, or genders.

Awards
Winner of the 2022 Booker International Prize
Winner of an English PEN Award

Reviews

“(A) book that is engaging, funny and utterly original, at the same time as being an urgent and timely protest against the destructive impact of borders and boundaries – whether between religions, countries or genders.” — The Booker Prize

“A triumph of literature” — The Financial Times

“A novel of enormous intelligence” — The Daily Telegraph

“The gorgeous writing is fluid and poetic, yet it is also plain and arresting with its direct second-person narration. Rockwell’s translation retains wit and rich flavor, with many words that vividly reflect Ma’s life. This novel, translated from Hindi, won the International Booker Award. Readers of international literature, award-list titles, and literary fiction will cherish Shree’s written intricacies of interior worlds as well as her detailed settings that evoke a strong sense of place.” — Booklist