THE ENDGAME

THE ENDGAME KUNAL BASU

‘A bold and haunting novel’ ANITA NAIR ‘[A] compelling story that reflects upon the human spirit’ RAJDEEP SARDESAI Saddam Hussein is dead, but there’s no end to war in Iraq. Armed with a reputation for daredevilry, reporter Tejaswini Ray arrives from New York to cover the conflict and is immediately enmeshed in a skirmish with Commander Luke of the US Marine Corps. Bound by Luke’s strict censorship rules, Tejaswini – Tejo – revolts, her coverage of the death of American soldiers killed by landmines draws the world’s attention to a futile war and invites the Commander’s ire. Tejo’s uneasy mission is further troubled by her chance encounter with Shabnam – a young woman trafficked from India and sold into slavery at the Marine camp. Drawn together by an unlikely bond, the two find solace amidst the carnage, but their friendship reveals a secret that links them back to the very beginning of their lives. When the war threatens their camp, Tejo and Shabnam abandon the Marines and embark on an audacious journey. But will they escape the dangers, or will their past invade the present, reversing the wheel of time to hasten the end?

KUNAL BASU

Kunal Basu was born in Kolkata in 1956. He graduated from Jadavpur University and after his MS and PhD he went on to teach at McGill University in Canada with a brief stint at IIM, Calcutta. He has been teaching at Said Business School, University of Oxford since 1999. Kunal Basu is the author of three acclaimed novels, The Opium Clerk, The Miniaturist, and Racists; The Japanese Wife, a collection of best-selling short stories also made into a film by celebrated film-maker Aparna Sen and many screen plays and poetry.