Such a Long Journey - Softcover

Mistry does something that only the really natural writers can do: without apparent effort, manipulation or contrivance, he creates characters you like instantly and will gladly follow for as long as the novel leads. The book is about an Indian family during the years of Indira Ganhdi's rule; it's also a study of the times, its politics and corruption, and was especially interesting for me, who knows so little about life in the rest of the world. It had to be a good book: after I read Such a Long Journey, I wanted to go right out and buy a plane ticket and see India for myself.

Rohinton Mistry is the author of a collection of short stories, Tale from Firozsha Baag (1987), and two internationally acclaimed novels. Such a Long Journey (1991) won the Governor General’s Award, the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book, and the SmithBooks/Books in Canada First Novel Award and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. A Fine Balance (1995) won the prestigious Giller Prize, the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction, and The Royal Society of Literature’s Winifred Holtby Award. It was also shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and the Irish Times International Fiction Prize. Rohinton Mistry was the recipient of the 1995 Canada-Australia Literary Prize.

Born in Bombay in 1952, Rohinton Mistry came to Canada in 1975, and has lived since then near Toronto. His new novel will be published in 2002.