Saraswati : 'The ambition and scale is off the charts' Graham Norton

A masterpiece debut novel from one of the UK's most exciting young writers, for fans of David Mitchell, Deepti Kapoor and Zadie Smith

AN OBSERVER BEST NEW NOVELIST 2025 * A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE INDEPENDENT, TELEGRAPH, NERVE AND GUARDIAN *WINNER OF THE SOMERSET MAUGHAM AWARDSHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARDSHORTLISTED FOR THE RSL ONDAATJE PRIZELONGLISTED FOR THE JHALAK PROSE PRIZE'An ambitious, stylishly delivered novel ... Reminiscent of Salman Rushdie' OBSERVER'Johal has written a major novel, and at his very first attempt' TELEGRAPH, 5-STAR REVIEWWhen the waters of the Saraswati, a river of legend, start to rise in a corner of northern India, seven scattered descendants of a forbidden marriage are unexpectedly swept up in its current. Satnam, adrift from his life in London, is drawn into a contentious scheme to restore the river. Nathu, an archaeologist, ventures from Nairobi to a dig site that might reveal artefacts of a lost civilisation. And elsewhere in former lands of empire - in Singapore, Canada, Mauritius and Pakistan - the ripples are felt across generations. Gurnaik Johal's panoramic debut deftly animates the passions that bind us to our histories and each other. 'A rich tapestry, occasionally bewildering, often beguiling' THE NEW YORK TIMES