The Far Field

A courageous, insightful and and affecting debut novel - and the winner of the prestigious JCB Prize for Indian literature - which places a naive upper-class woman from southern India in the midst of far messier realities in Kashmir. Along the way, the story challenges Indian taboos ranging from sex to politics. * The Economist Books of the Year *
Vijay's mastery of traditional narrative skills wouldn't be out of place in a classic 19th century novel...The Far Field is an impressive performance. It will be fascinating to see what Vijay does next. * Sunday Times *
a powerful meditation on the chaos of good intentions...a masterful piece of fiction. -- Nikesh Shukla * Observer *
The Far Field is an irresistible blend of moral subtlety and intellectual precision. Ingeniously conceived and elegantly written, it is a first novel of startling accomplishment. -- Pankaj Mishra
For the vast majority of us, who hear of the troubles in Kashmir only as a faint strain in the general din of world tragedies, The Far Field offers something essential: a chance to glimpse the lives of distant people captured in prose gorgeous enough to make them indelible - and honest enough to make them real. * Washington Post *
Shalini's quest to understand her mother's life makes for a remarkable story, and Vijay is likely to be a talent to watch. * Financial Times *
Vijay probes grand themes - tribalism, despotism, betrayal, death, resurrection - in exquisite but unflowery prose, and with sincere sentiment but little sentimentality. * New Yorker *
Vijay's descriptions of the mountains, the people and their everyday lives are beautiful, and that makes the hidden ugliness all the more disturbing; this is a seriously impressive debut. * The Times *
Consuming... Vijay's command of storytelling is so supple that it's easy to discount the stealth with which she constructs her tale. * New York Times Book Review *
Stunning....Vijay's remarkable debut novel is an engrossing narrative of individual angst played out against political turmoil. * Publishers Weekly *
...deals with big questions - Indian politics, class, history and sexuality - through beautiful prose. * Huffington Post UK *
Vijay intertwines her story's threads with dazzling skill. Dense, layered, impossible to pin - or put - down, her first novel is an engrossing tale of love and grief, politics and morality. Combining up-close character studies with finely plotted drama, this is a triumphant, transporting debut. * Booklist, *STARRED REVIEW* *
Vivid...[THE FAR FIELD explores] complicated themes of parental fealty, identity, and religious schism...a striking debut. * Kirkus *
I had to remind myself while reading The Far Fieldthat this is the work of a debut novelist, and not a mid-career book by a master writer... Such is the power of Vijay's writing that I finished the book feeling like I'd lived it. Only the very best novels are experienced, as opposed to merely read, and this is one of those rare and brilliant novels. -- Ben Fountain
I am in awe of Madhuri Vijay. With poised and measured grace, The Far Field tells a story as immediate and urgent as life beyond the page. I will think of these characters - tender and complex, mysterious and flawed, remarkably real to me - for years to come, as though I have lived alongside them -- Anna Noyes
The Far Field is remarkable, a novel at once politically timely and morally timeless. Madhuri Vijay traces the fault lines of history, love, and obligation running through a fractured family and country. Few novels generate enough power to transform their characters, fewer still their readers. The Far Field does both. -- Anthony Marra
An impressive debut. -- Layla Haidrani * Cosmopolitan *