“A white linen sheet separated Hannah’s indifferent flesh from the hard edges of the courtyard ground. People came to pass their condolences, but they were not true mourners. There just to be a part of the scandal, tourists in another’s grief. Joseph watched it all in silence. He wanted to shake her awake, demand she rise and explain herself. But in death, as in life, Hannah remained a quiet slip of a soul. They carried her away, lit her up and served the remains to the Ganges.”
The City Without Sorrow
India, 1984. A group of children fight a godwoman cult.When the only constant in life is loss, one learns to distrust gain. Twelve-year-old Preetam learns this lesson when she is blamed for a murder committed by her best friend Joseph. The accusation brings her in the crosshairs of The Cartographers, a cult-like group led by Maa Nandini, who believe they can steal time from children.
Parry was born in Punjab, forged in London. She now lives in Hampshire with an extensive gin collection and a pani puri addiction. She is a Curtis Brown Creative alumna, currently working on her first novel.