Synopses & Reviews
By the banks of the River Yamuna in northern India, where rice paddies of basmati merge into fields of sugarcane, twelve-year-old Madan arrives with his family in the factory town of Gorapur. Madan’s father, drunk and abusive, threatens the family’s already tenuous, lowly position in Gorapur, finally committing an unforgivable crime. But when Madan’s sharp mind and hardened determination catch the attention of Avtaar Singh, his father’s employer and the most powerful man in town, everything seems to change for Madan and for his family. Avtaar Singh becomes a father to Madan in every way except in blood.
In his journey from impoverished boy to powerful man, Madan will have to bargain for his life and for the lives of those he loves. A novel about fathers and sons, the ties that bind, and the barriers of class that even love cannot break, The Three Bargains is a stunning debut.
Review
" is such a beautifully written book, full of moving, honest, indelible characters that make you hate to leave them by the end--an astonishing debut! Reading Malik's first novel reminded me of encountering Toni Morrison and Louise Erdrich's early fiction--you already see the promise of genius there." Jonis Agee, author of The River Wife
Review
" brought back the dimly remembered pleasure of being swept up in the fast, deep waters of a great tale. Richly textured and morally nuanced, it's the archetypal rags-to-riches story made urgent and new again, this time in modern India." Debra Dean, author of The Mirrored World
Review
"As huge and sprawling as India itself, is an epic novel of a nation in transition and a man determined to ride the crest of its wave. Malik knows the careless entitled nabobs of the old order and the hungry on-the-make entrepreneurs of the new, the shameful slums and the slick skyscrapers, and brings them all vividly to life in a dazzling page-turner of heartbreak and hope." Ellen Feldman, author of The Unwitting
Review
"This is the kind of novel one sinks into, forgetting everything but the story. Madan's story begins in an Indian factory town controlled by a man both brutal and loving (imagine a South Asian Tony Soprano). The boy's exotic and extreme circumstances simply magnify the kinds of yearnings most of us have--for love, safety, a good father--and the conflicts and compromises we all face." Peggy Payne, author of Sister India
Review
"Touching and deeply researched. . . . An impressive feat of storytelling." Thomas Chatterton Williams
Review
"An impressive first novel." San Francisco Chronicle
Review
"Madan's is an adventure well worth joining." Georgia Rowe San Jose Mercury News
Review
"Mesmerizing prose [and] heart-stopping action . . . both honest and astounding." Anne Morris Dallas Morning News
Review
"The kind of novel one sinks into, forgetting everything but the story." Publishers Weekly, Starred review
Review
"A dazzling page-turner of heartbreak and hope." Peggy Payne, author of Sister India
Synopsis
For fans of The Kite Runner and Slumdog Millionaire, a rags to riches epic.
Synopsis
By the banks of the River Yamuna in northern India, where rice paddies of basmati merge into fields of sugarcane, twelve-year-old Madan lives with his impoverished family in the town of Gorapur. Madan's father works for Avtaar Singh, a powerful and controlling man who owns the largest factory in town and much of the land around it. Madan's sharp mind and hardened determination catch Avtaar Singh's attention. When Madan's father's misdeeds jeopardize his sister's life, Madan strikes his first bargain with Avtaar Singh to save her. Drawn into Avtaar Singh's violent world, Madan becomes his son in every way but by blood. Suddenly it looks as if everything will change for Madan and his family until a forbidden love affair has brutal consequences and he is forced to leave behind all that is dear to him. On his journey toward redemption, Madan will have to bargain, once, twice, three times for his life and for the lives of those he loves.
Synopsis
A tale of fathers and sons, the ties that bind, and the barriers of class that even love cannot break, is a stunning first novel, as potent, heart-stopping, and epic as Khaled Hosseini's .
About the Author
Tania Malik was born in New Delhi, educated in boarding schools in the Himalayas, and raised in India, Africa, and the Middle East. She received her degree from the University of Delhi and currently lives in northern California with her husband, daughter, and dog. Three Bargains is her first novel.