
Tomb of Sand - Reading Guide
Discover the inspiration behind Tomb of Sand, a novel that simultaneously confronts the experiences of Partition while re-evaluating what it means to be a mother, a daughter, a woman and a feminist.
An urgent yet engaging protest against the destructive impact of borders, whether between religions, countries or genders. Translated by Daisy Rockwell.
In northern India, an 80-year-old woman slips into a deep depression at the death of her husband, then resurfaces to gain a new lease of life. Her determination to fly in the face of convention confuses her bohemian daughter, who is used to thinking of herself as the more ‘modern’ of the two. To her family’s consternation, Ma then insists on travelling to Pakistan, confronting the unresolved trauma of her teenage experiences of Partition. Despite its serious themes, Geetanjali Shree’s light touch and exuberant wordplay ensures that Tomb of Sand remains constantly playful - and utterly original.
About the Author
Geetanjali Shree won the International Booker Prize in 2022. She is the author of three novels and several story collections, and her work has been translated into English, French, German, Serbian and Korean.About the Translator
Daisy Rockwell is a painter, writer and translator living in Vermont, US.This is a luminous novel of India and partition, but one whose spellbinding brio and fierce compassion weaves youth and age, male and female, family and nation into a kaleidoscopic whole
— Frank Wynne, chair of the judges
This is not just about me, the individual. I represent a language and culture and this recognition brings into larger purview the entire world of Hindi literature in particular and Indian literature as a whole.