Saraswati

AN OBSERVER BEST NEW NOVELIST 2025 * A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE INDEPENDENT, TELEGRAPH, NERVE AND GUARDIAN *

WINNER OF THE SOMERSET MAUGHAM AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE
LONGLISTED 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 REVIEW

When 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