<div>Shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize, Prajwal Parajuly has established himself as a distinctive voice in literature about the South Asian diaspora. Now in his debut novel,<em>Land Where I Flee</em> about returning home, Parajuly demonstrates that he is, as Manil Suri noted, &quot;a master capturing, with wit and humor, the day-to-day interactions between his characters.&quot;</div><div><br></div><div>To commemorate Chitralekha Nepauney's Chaurasi--her landmark eighty-fourth birthday--three of Chitralekha's grandchildren are travelling to Gangtok, Sikkim, to pay their respects. Agastaya is flying in from New York. Although a successful oncologist, he is dreading his family's inquisition into why he is not married, and terrified that the reason for his bachelordom will be discovered.</div><div><br></div><div>Joining him are his sisters Manasa and Bhagwati, travelling from London and Colorado respectively. One the Oxford-educated achiever; the other the disgraced eloper--one moneyed but miserable; the other ostracized but optimistic.</div><div><br></div><div>All three harbor the same dual objective: to emerge from the celebrations with their formidable grandmother's blessing and their nerves intact: a goal that will become increasingly impossible thanks to a mischievous maid and a fourth, uninvited guest.</div>