Family Life
About this book
Ajay, eight years old, spends his afternoons playing cricket in the streets of Delhi with his brother Birju, four years older. They are about to leave for shiny new life in America. Ajay anticipates, breathlessly, a world of jet-packs and chewing-gum.
This promised land of impossible riches and dazzling new technology is also a land that views Ajay with suspicion and hostility; one where he must rely on his big brother to tackle classroom bullies. Birju, confident, popular, is the repository of the family's hopes, and he spends every waking minute studying for the exams that will mean entry to the Bronx High School of Science, and reflected glory for them all.
When a terrible accident makes a mockery of that dream, the family splinters. The boys' mother restlessly seeks the help of pundits from the temple, while their father retreats into silent despair - and the bottle. Now Ajay must find the strength of character to navigate this brave new American world, and the sorrows at home, on his own terms.
By turns blackly funny, touching, raw and devastating,
Family Life is a vivid and wrenching portrait of sibling relationships and the impact of tragedy on one family from a boy's eye view.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Landing Page
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- 1: My father has a glum nature.
- 2: I used to think that my father had been assigned to us by the government.
- 3: We began being invited to people’s houses for lunch
- 4: We stood in my aunt’s driveway with our luggage
- 5: We had sued the apartment building where Birju
- 6: I had not told anyone at school about Birju.
- 7: The day Birju was supposed to be brought to our house
- 8: Birju was lying on his exercise bed.
- 9: Seventh grade passed and I entered eighth.
- 10: At the end of ninth grade, as I was about to turn fifteen
- 11: Sometimes on weekends my parents went to temple
- 12: My mother and I took the train to New York
- 13: Before we opened any of the letters, we prayed.
- 14: Even when I left for college, shops had begun to open
- Acknowledgements
- About the Author
- By the Same Author
- Copyright