Moth

Razak debuts with a brilliant tale of a Delhi family’s ordeal during the turmoil of India’s partition in 1947. With India’s independence from Britain looming and violence between Hindus and Muslims increasing, 14-year-old Alma’s modern, high-caste parents, Bappu and Ma, reluctantly agree that a husband will help protect her. An engagement is announced, but when the groom’s family discovers that Alma’s grandmother tampered with Alma’s horoscope, the wedding is called off. Alma is embarrassed and wants to visit her father’s twin in Bombay. Train travel is dangerous, but headstrong Alma insists—leaving the day after British rule ends and India is divided into Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India—and goes missing from her train. Meanwhile, her shattered parents contend with a violent rebellion and food shortages in Delhi and try to safeguard their Muslim servant. Razak does not shy away from vile characters—rapists and gropers among them—but the most chilling players emerge at the end, as Alma’s fate is revealed. The settings are evocative, and the unhurried pace allows the narrative to take in a wide sweep of history beyond partition, including Gandhi’s assassination; however, it’s Alma’s family and their servants who power this tale with their rituals and resiliency. It’s an exceptional, beautifully written story. Agent: Stephanie Cabot, Susanna Lea Assoc. (Aug.)