Published: 30/01/2020
Viewing the dizzying bustle and danger of contemporary urban India through the eyes of a winning child narrator, Anappara’s tremendously accomplished debut is a singular take on the modern crime novel. Redolent of the bazaars and backstreets of the sub-continent, Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line follows the exploits of three juvenile sleuths on the trail of a child stealer.
Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020
Chosen for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club
Three weeks ago I was only a schoolkid but now I'm a detective and also a tea-shop boy...
Nine-year-old Jai watches too many reality cop shows, thinks he's smarter than his friend Pari (even though she always gets top marks) and considers himself to be a better boss than Faiz (even though Faiz is the one with a job).
When a boy at school goes missing, Jai decides to use the crime-solving skills he has picked up from episodes of Police Patrol to find him. With Pari and Faiz by his side, Jai ventures into some of the most dangerous parts of the sprawling Indian city; the bazaar at night, and even the railway station at the end of the Purple Line. But kids continue to vanish, and the trio must confront terrified parents, an indifferent police force and soul-snatching djinns in order to uncover the truth.
Publisher: Vintage Publishing
ISBN: 9781784743086
Number of pages: 352
Weight: 573 g
Dimensions: 240 x 162 x 33 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'Anappara doesn't pull her punches as events build to a desperately tense final act and a conclusion that, while distressing, is fully earned.' - The Daily Mail
'It's a vivid, compelling debut.' - The Express
'Djinn Patrol is storytelling at its best. The prose is not just sympathetic, vivid, and beautifully detailed, but also completely assured and deft. We care about these characters from the first page and our concern for them is richly repaid' - Anne Enright
'A brilliant debut' - Ian McEwan
'Deepa Anappara is a writer of considerable talent. This is a wonderful, energetic book filled with humour and pathos. Charming, sensitive and deeply moving' - Nathan Filer
'In this thrilling reading experience, Deepa Anappara creates a drama of childhood that is as wild as it is intimate. Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is an entertaining, wonderful debut' - Chigozie Obioma
'A moving and confident novel about the preciousness of life. The storytelling is distinctive and immersive' - Nikesh Shukla
'The children at the heart of this story will stay with you long after you turn the last page... a wonderful debut' - Christie Watson
'Extraordinarily good, deeply moving and thought provoking with brilliant characterisation. A very important book' - Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange
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