Moth: One of the Observer's 'Ten Debut Novelists' of 2021

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ONE OF THE OBSERVER'S 'TEN DEBUT NOVELISTS' OF 2021 'Powerful and heartbreaking' OBSERVER 'Gripping... Razak painstakingly paints a portrait of a family; their rituals, their private languages, their shared lives' THE TIMES 'Heartbreaking and heart-warming... The character portrayal is so intricate that as the plot twists and turns, you'll truly care what happens to them' INDEPENDENT 'I adored Moth: it's one of the best debuts I've ever read' SARAH WINMAN 'Takes us right into the heart and heat of Partition-era Delhi. A rare delight' ANNA HOPE 'A powerful and moving family story: every character springs from the page' CLARE CHAMBERS Delhi, 1946. Ma and Bappu are liberal intellectuals teaching at the local university. Their fourteen year-old daughter - precocious, headstrong Alma - is soon to be married: Alma is mostly interested in her wedding shoes and in spinning stories for her beloved younger sister Roop. Times are bad for girls in India. The long-awaited independence from British rule is heralding a new era of hope, but political unrest is brewing, threatening to unravel the rich tapestry of Delhi - a city where different cultures have co-existed for centuries. When Partition happens and the British Raj is fractured overnight, this wonderful family is violently torn apart and its members are forced to find new ways to survive. But the resilience of the human spirit is an extraordinary thing...

Melody Razak is British Iranian writer from London, with an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck. She has had short stories published in the Mechanics Institute Review, the Bath Short Story Anthology and the Brick Lane Short Story Prize. Previous to writing, she owned treacle&co, a cafe in Brighton and more recently worked in the kitchens of Honey&Co in London as a pastry chef. She is currently living in Brighton. MOTH is her debut novel.

Powerful and heartbreaking... The book's primary and unflinching focus is the female members of the household: Ma, her daughters Alma and Roop, among others, all drawn with such skill and love that they remain with you long after the final sentence. * OBSERVER (Ten Debut Novelists of 2021) * Gripping... Razak painstakingly paints a portrait of a family; their rituals, their private languages, their shared lives. This careful characterisation pays off, heartbreakingly, when the horrors of partition wreak havoc on small, happy lives. * THE TIMES * Both a heartbreaking and heart-warming story, Melody Razak's debut transports the reader into the home of a Brahmin family in 1940s Delhi. She navigates their beautiful yet complicated relationships as India builds up to and enters Partition... Razak hones in on the strength and suffering of women; with moments as small as sharing stories, cooking food and plaiting hair becoming lifelines... Moth has a backdrop of religion, politics, class and violence, but the central focus is on family life. The character portrayal is so intricate that as the plot twists and turns, you'll truly care what happens to them. 9/10 * INDEPENDENT * I adored Moth. It's rare for a writer to appear fully-formed, but that's how I see Melody Razak: this is a remarkable novel and one of the best debuts I've ever read. It made my heart swell. * Sarah Winman, author of TIN MAN and STILL LIFE * I was utterly transported by Moth. In exquisite prose, Melody Razak takes us right to the heart and the heat of Partition-era Delhi - a fracturing city, a fracturing nation and a family attempting to hold themselves together when everything threatens to tear them apart. Moth is a rare, winged delight - able to stare unflinchingly into the darkness, while always illuminated by a fierce love for life. A stunning, powerful work by a brave new voice in British fiction. * Anna Hope, author of EXPECTATION * Moth is a powerful and moving story of a liberal, Brahmin family caught up in the violence and social unrest of post-partition India. It is written with absolute fidelity to the small rituals of daily life, the allegiances and jealousies within families, and the huge and overwhelming forces of history. Every character springs from the page, involving the reader completely in their triumphs and sufferings - the writer's skill and sympathy are immense. I loved it. * Clare Chambers, author of SMALL PLEASURES * From the first beautiful and terrifying pages I couldn't put Moth down. The assurance of tone, the loving faithfulness to the complexity of family dynamics and female experience , the celebration of humanity and resilience amid the horrors of Partition all make for one of the most immersive reading experiences I can remember. I loved this book. * Sally Magnusson, author of THE SEALWOMAN'S GIFT *