Rosarita

It’s been over a decade since [Anita Desai's] last work of fiction. She’s a writer I’ve loved since my adolescence, whose sharp observations and elegant sentences I admire increasingly as the years go on. Every new work from her is a gift -- Kamila Shamsie, Stylist
As taut and weird and entrancing as a story by Jorge Luis Borges. If Rosarita is to be her swansong . . . then it’s a magnificent way to go out -- George Cochrane, The Telegraph (5 star review)
The three-times Booker-shortlisted writer is back with a poignant novella about one young woman’s thwarted attempt to escape her past . . . a thoughtful read that will delight Desai stalwarts and send newcomers scurrying to her impressive backlist; leaving all hopeful this won’t be her last piece of short fiction -- Susie Mesure, The i
A tantalising tale of memory, family and fantasy . . . evocative, subtle and enigmatic. Desai revels in equivocation and possibility, embracing the ambiguity of memory itself to tell a shimmering, sometimes fevered tale in which a mother and daughter are pulled apart and fused together * Financial Times *
There is a dreamy and wistful mood to this very short gem, lulling in its revelations and comforting in its gentle appeal. A wonder of a novel. -- Paul Perry, Irish Sunday Independent
Her writing is sensuous, radical and uncannily perceptive * The Times *
To compare Anita Desai's fiction with that of Chekhov or the short stories of Tolstoy is not extravagant; it is entirely warranted * Irish Times *
Anita Desai is one of the most brilliant and subtle writers ever to have described the meeting of eastern and western culture -- Alison Lurie
All her stories are full of a confidence in human nature that is a rarity and a pleasure to encounter * The Spectator *
Desai has a wicked, subtle humour . . . and her characters are beautifully described . . . Her writing is polished and mature, with a wit she cleverly underplays * Daily Telegraph *
One of the most gifted of contemporary Indian writers * New Yorker *
Anita Desai writes exquisitely * Scotsman *
She has the ability to shape and refine a piece of work of her own intense imagination into an independent work of art * The Times *
Desai writes powerfully and provocatively . . . Rosarita is a transcendent late gift: both a testament to Desai’s enduring genius as a writer and a wholly remarkable vindication of literature’s power to illuminate the conundrums of human experience. This is a novel of profound philosophical inquiry, pondering the enigmas of the mind and the self, the frontiers of fantasy and reality, and ultimately, whether one person can ever fully imagine and understand the life of another. * The Guardian *
Rosarita tells of the universal craving to belong -- Stevie Davies, The Literary Review
Strikingly vivid . . . this book is the literary equivalent of a lucid dream, a surreal and deeply personal experience * The Skinny *
The perfect read for a sultry summer afternoon * The i *
Poignant . . . this has Desai's insightful characterisations that craft a haunting narrative, offering readers a contemplative and deeply resonant meditation that lingers after the page -- Chaya Colman and Sophie Ezra, Glamour, Best new books of July 2024, according to literary experts
Rosarita is a thoughtful read that will delight Desai stalwarts and send newcomers scurrying to her impressive backlist; leaving all hopeful that this won't be her last piece of short fiction * The i Paper *
Who are you? Desai's first novel in a decade, written in the second person, turns brilliantly on this question * The Telegraph, The 75 hottest books of 2024 so far *
Enigmatic . . . weaves a supple tale of memory, secrets, belonging and becoming -- Hephzibah Anderson, Scottish Mail on Sunday, The Best New Fiction
It is beautifully told, the story itself also like a work of art. It is a perfect little gift to give oneself or another -- Brid Conroy, Mayo News
Swirling under the delicacy of the prose is a terrible turbulence. Who was Rosarita? * Times Literary Supplement *
The deceptively slender format can briskly encompass whole worlds and histories, or alternatively, like the short story, depend on strict excisions and limitations for its effects. Rosarita does both. * Spectator *
A rewarding riddle of family inheritance and historical trauma -- Guardian Books of the Year
Captivating -- The Week Best novels: top books to read this year
Rosarita can be read in a mere hour or two, but its effects will be longer lasting -- Financial Times Best books of 2024