This one was shortlisted for the Booker Prize last year and longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction, and although it's a fairly short read it still manages to capture the feelings of loss after a mother dies.
It is written from the point of view of Gopi who is eleven years old and the youngest of three girls who are left to get through their teenage years without their Mother's guiding hand. Their father is a quiet man who is struggling to cope with his own grief, and he decides that they will all cope better if they are physically occupied, so he begins to take them on regular trips to Western Lane where they all play squash.
Gopi has a real aptitude for the sport, but although she enjoys the game, she often gets tired as her father is not working as much as he used to and there isn't always enough money to buy all the food they need.
The writing style is quiet and considered with the girls usually keeping a respectful distance from their father's feelings, but once in a while the feelings get out and they all retreat full of guilt and fear that they have touched on something they shouldn't have.
Chehtna Maroo explores the family dynamic with careful words and a lot of the emotion is bought about by what is not said rather than the actual words and deeds. The story builds gently and the relationships between the sisters and their father gradually become clearer as Gopi advances in the world of competitive squash.
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