Up the ghat

Among the pine and

eucalyptus plantations

of a south Indian hill

station, an upright govern-

ment officer struggles to

free a group of bonded

labourers. His wife Azra

tries desperately to sup-

port him in spite of her

disappointment in their

marriage. In the dramatic

fall-out she is sustained

by the memory of her

grandfather, and an emo-

tional involvement with

a young American teacher.

Sensitivity and a quiet

humour characterize this

perceptive first novel.