“I would like you to become passionate about something that you can do for your whole life.”
An Indian family living in the United Kingdom is preparing to experience a pain that is impossible to describe, that no one in the world would want to experience. The death of their mother leaves three little sisters without the most important figure in their lives. The vortex into which they are sucked will also involve their father, who from one day to the next finds himself facing a situation bigger than himself.
The difficulty in overcoming mourning, and the need for moral support, will lead the man to seek reassurance in solid family affection, but without the desired outcome.
When an aunt of the girls insinuates that her nieces need more education because they don’t behave appropriately according to the rules of the Indian community, indirectly blaming the mother who has just died, even going so far as to offer to foster one of the three sisters, the relationship becomes they will deteriorate.
Trying to distract the girls from the perpetual mourning, and to keep them busy with an activity that required commitment and discipline, the father will make them take Squash lessons, until one of them discovers a natural talent that will change her life, at least partially. Hence also the title of the book in the Italian version (T).
T is the center of the field from which the game is ideally controlled better, a perfect metaphor of life, for our three protagonists, and not only.
The greatest merit of the text is that it ignites every corner of curiosity in the reader’s mind. Bringing light with cultural, geographical and even sporting references that scream to be in-depth, giving them all the time they need. Not doing so would be a crime, and one would not appreciate the book in its entirety.
The book is the debut work of the writer Chetna Maroo, and perhaps in the future it could represent a problem for her, because it has raised the bar so high, in terms of quality and intensity. Confirming yourself with your next book will be a challenging goal, overcoming yourself is very, very difficult, but we are optimistic and look forward to your next work, and we hope you will be with us, once you have read Western Lane.
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Chetna Maroo, T, Adelphi, Milano, 2024
Original edition: Western Lane, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2023