Land Where I Flee is a novel by an Nepali speaking Indian writer Prajwal Parajuly. It was published on November 14, 2013 by Quercus. It is the first novel and the second book of the author who had previously published a collection of short stories titled The Gurkha's Daughter which was shortlisted for Dylan Thomas Prize.
Synopsis
The book centers around a Nepali-Indian family from the state of Sikkim. Chitralekha Neupaney, a 84 year old woman is the matriarch of the family who has raised her grandchildren after their parents passed away. On the occasion of her 84th birthday (Chaurasi), there is a reunion in the family of those four grandchildren who live in different parts of the world. Prasanti is the eunuch maid of the house who is very bossy. The novel deals with various themes like identity and family.
Characters
Chitralekha Neupaney, a 84 year old matriarch of the house
Prasanti, the eunuch help of the household
Bhagwati, one of the four grandchildren
Agastya, one of the four grandchildren
Ruthwa, one of the four grandchildren
Manasa, one of the four grandchildren
Translation
It was translated into French as Fuir et Revenir by Benoîte Dauvergne.
Reception
The French translation of the book was nominated for France’s First Novel Prize. The book was also longlisted for the Emile Guimet Prize. Manjula Narayan of Hindustan Times praised the book as "one of the best novels of the year' in his review. Jane Housham called it as "a caustic look at family life" in her review for The Guardian.