Belgrave Road - by Manish Chauhan (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

An unforgettable debut novel about two young people searching for better lives, and the blossoming forbidden romance between them that threatens their families and futures--a breathtaking story perfect for fans of Colm Tóibín and Monica Ali.

Mira's days are filled with duty and light on freedom. In a new country, living with a husband she barely knows--and who she fears she'll never love--Mira is desperate to discover all that her new life in England might offer.

And then there's Tahliil. The quiet, beautiful man she sees at work each day. With a depth in his eyes and a face full of questions. He's the first person in this new world who listens to Mira's hopes for who she yearns to become.

But beyond their lunchtime encounters, the pair couldn't lead more different lives: the duties that bind them, the homes they are trying to build threaten to subsume them. As Mira and Tahliil navigate the deep and turbulent waters of their new worlds, can they find a way to be together, and will finding each other set them free?

Review Quotes

"Belgrave Road shimmers with quiet beauty. A love story in more ways than one, this novel, with its encompassing prose, takes us through the joy and heartbreak of finding home amidst displacement and finding companionship in the loneliest places. I could not help but root for Mira and Tahliil." -- Vanessa Chan, bestselling author of The Storm We Made

"At the intersection of luminous hopes and confining structures sits Belgrave Road. Simultaneously timeless and modern in its consideration of loneliness amidst the yearning to be understood, Manish Chauhan spins a tale of star-crossed lovers finding their way towards each other across and despite cultures, injustices, and conventions. I sank right into the novel, inhabiting the rhythms, dreams, fears, and delights of the lives within. This is a beautiful, defiant debut existing between the flashing poles of the lives we have and the ones we deserve." -- Jemimah James Wei, author of The Original Daughter

"Tenacious and tender, Manish Chauhan's delicate prose folds us into Mira and Tahliil's moving love story, and turns a powerful lens on the realities of the lives of new immigrants in Britain--whether they cross borders for marriage or refuge, for broken promises or sheer survival. Visa status, wages, asylum, religions, and languages weave into this modern tale of love blossoming in unlikely circumstances, and I dreamed along with these characters who dared believe in their power to hold on to each other against the currents of society." -- Aube Rey Lescure, author of River East, River West

"Belgrave Road is a stunning portrait of two characters fighting for love in the most unexpected of circumstances. Through characters Mira and Tahliil, readers are immersed in the lives of an Indian immigrant and Somali undocumented refugee struggling to navigate a new world. In deft, lucid prose, Manish Chauhan asks us to consider the meaning of home, the might of love, and the injustices created by the borders of our contemporary world. Powerful and meditative, this is a debut novel that will stay with me for years to come." -- Crystal Hana Kim, author of The Stone Home and If You Leave Me