- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Beautiful Books (15 April 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1905636857
- ISBN-13: 978-1905636853
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.6 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 63,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
WINNER OF THE 2010 COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD
A highly atmospheric mystery set in India, with the controversial subject of female foeticide at the fore. Longlisted for the ManAsian Literary Prize. In a small town in the heart of India, a young girl is found tied to a bed inside a townhouse where 13 people lie dead. The girl is alive, but only just. She is arrested for the murders she is believed to have committed. Visiting social worker Simran attempts to break through the girl's mute trance to discover the truth. Hauntingly real, and beautifully atmospheric, this ia a major debut.
''Very important themes [and a] very appealing central character.'' - Jane Garvey, BBC Radio 4 Woman s Hour
''Essential reading.'' - Nihal, BBC Asian Network
''A thought-provoking tale [that] is certainly worth the read.'' The Guardian
''Desai has an easy-going style of writing and the ability to make a point using the fewest of words. Although the book addresses numerous social evils, they do not weigh the book down mainly because the author does not appear to preach or sermonise.'' - Deccan Herald
''Highly readable. It is skilfully crafted and written in lucid, compelling prose.'' Khushwant Singh, author of The History of the Sikhs
''The most significant achievement of the novel is that it revisits some of the darkest areas of our country s moral being. It is a harsh, dark tragedy with a final sliver of promise.'' India Today
''Fast-paced debut [which] hits hard, given the extreme skewing of the gender ratio in some parts of India.'' Financial Express
''Engaging, intelligent murder mystery.'' Indian Express
''Desai is to be commended for documenting a major social ugliness in unflinching detail and producing a fluent page-turner in the process.'' Outlook Magazine
A highly atmospheric mystery set in India, with the controversial subject of female foeticide at the fore. Longlisted for the ManAsian Literary Prize. In a small town in the heart of India, a young girl is found tied to a bed inside a townhouse where 13 people lie dead. The girl is alive, but only just. She is arrested for the murders she is believed to have committed. Visiting social worker Simran attempts to break through the girl's mute trance to discover the truth. Hauntingly real, and beautifully atmospheric, this ia a major debut.
''Very important themes [and a] very appealing central character.'' - Jane Garvey, BBC Radio 4 Woman s Hour
''Essential reading.'' - Nihal, BBC Asian Network
''A thought-provoking tale [that] is certainly worth the read.'' The Guardian
''Desai has an easy-going style of writing and the ability to make a point using the fewest of words. Although the book addresses numerous social evils, they do not weigh the book down mainly because the author does not appear to preach or sermonise.'' - Deccan Herald
''Highly readable. It is skilfully crafted and written in lucid, compelling prose.'' Khushwant Singh, author of The History of the Sikhs
''The most significant achievement of the novel is that it revisits some of the darkest areas of our country s moral being. It is a harsh, dark tragedy with a final sliver of promise.'' India Today
''Fast-paced debut [which] hits hard, given the extreme skewing of the gender ratio in some parts of India.'' Financial Express
''Engaging, intelligent murder mystery.'' Indian Express
''Desai is to be commended for documenting a major social ugliness in unflinching detail and producing a fluent page-turner in the process.'' Outlook Magazine
About the Author
Kishwar Desai lives in London. She has previously written one book of non-fiction. This is her first novel.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read,
By AM GUPTARA "GMG" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Witness the Night (Paperback)
Having received my copy of "Witness the Night" yesterday, I finished it this afternoon. I don't normally read fiction but it was so compelling I couldn't put it down and finished it within 24 hours. It is a gripping thriller/mystery drama but haunting and disturbing - all the characters clamour in my head as I write this, having just read the last line. Deeply affecting.
Harrowing issues are explored in depth as the author emphasises the fact that these (female foeticide, infanticide, sex selective abortion etc) are still contemporary issues to be dealt with, not legends of the past. I guess fiction gives lease for honesty. A must read for anyone who enjoys detective fiction - or anyone with an interest in women's rights. Anjali Guptara, Presenter "India's Forgotten Women" documentary Pipe Village Trust []
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
An important and compelling story but a novel of poor skill,
By
This review is from: Witness the Night (Paperback)
Having read the above reviews, and knowing that Desai won the Costa first novel award, I was looking forward to reading this book. The story is compelling and I think it's an important story that needs to be told, however the language and structure of the book are poor. Desai uses similar tricks to Dan Brown in the Da Vinci code; maddening and obvious half finished chapters/ emails and telephone calls, with no apparent reason other than to entice the reader to read the next chapter. Simran, although a sympathetic and likable protagonist, also has a tendency to 'lecture' the reader with background information - whether it's about the mystery or the situation of women in India. Most of this could/should have been conveyed in a subtler way (hence why so many detectives have a sidekick). So it's a good quick read, and if you like Dan Brown you may well like this book, but from a literature point of view, this book doesn't offer much.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A really strong debut,
By Parvati P. (London) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Witness the Night (Paperback)
This is a compelling book that revolves around the mystery of a brutal mass murder of 13 members of family, and a social worker trying to unearth family secrets that many, even outside the family, have a stake in ensuring do not come to light. It is also a social comment on the plight of girls in traditional Punjabi families even in the modern age. The issue of police corruption also rears its ugly head as the intrepid social worker Simran tries to unravel the mystery and reach out to Durga - one of the few in the family to survive the massacre yet is treated by the police and others as a suspect. Simran strongly believes she is a victim rather than a criminal and is determined to prove it.
This book has some flaws - it moves slowly to begin with, although this is tempered by a fascinating portrayal of a patriarchal society in which girls have little worth. Everything is resolved a little too fast for my taste, in the last 10-15 pages. I also feel that while we are taken on a compelling journey into the terrible lives of Durga and her sister, at the end we do not really know or understand them. Desai is an excellent writer, but it takes a truly extraordinary writer to draw us inside the heads of these victims. And she just falls short of this. So much is related to us through the words of outsiders that I was not convinced by the ending - can Durga and her sister ever be healed? Nor was the mass murder convincingly explained. However these flaws should not detract from a powerful novel, expertly told. The author promises more books featuring the independent-minded social worker Simran. I will definately be watching out for them.
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