Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line

Praise

“A dazzling debut.”—The Guardian

“Warning: If you begin reading the book in the morning, don’t expect to get anything done the rest of the day. . . . In Jai, Anappara has created a boy vivid in his humanity, one whose voice somersaults on the page.”—The New York Times Book Review

“[Jai’s] remarkable voice retains a stubborn lightness, a will to believe in the possibility of deliverance in this fallen world.”—The Washington Post

“A moving case for perseverance and hope.”—Time

“Jai is endearing, entertaining, and earnest; he keeps you on the edge of your seat. He is curious, courageous, cheeky, and unabashedly, unapologetically speaking his mind, and the truth.”—Los Angeles Review of Books

“There’s nothing quite like coming across a writer whose style is a world in itself. . . . Jubilantly and astutely written, bursting with compassion for its characters and a sense of vivid adventure, at once both childlike and wise.”—Financial Times

“[An] entrancing novel . . . full of humor, warmth, and heartbreak.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“This fictional account of a serious problem is told with humor, grace, and tension—giving a sense of the overcrowded slums and the friendship, suspicion, and love found within them.”—NPR

“A debut novel that is teeming with life despite its deadly subject matter.”—The Irish Times

“More than a thriller, Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is a moving coming-of-age story. . . . Anappara’s vision of this community is vibrant, rather than defined by lack.”—Paste

“Storytelling at its best—not just sympathetic, vivid, and beautifully detailed, but completely assured and deft . . . We care about these characters from the first page and our concern for them is richly repaid.”—Anne Enright, Man Booker Prize–winning author of The Gathering

“[An] entrancing novel . . . full of humor, warmth, and heartbreak . . . Anappara paints all of her characters, even the lost ones, with deep empathy, and her prose is winningly exuberant. . . . Engaging characters, bright wit, and compelling storytelling make a tale that’s bleak at its core profoundly moving.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A model of verisimilitude . . . [Jai] comes to life on the page to live on in readers’ memories.”—Booklist

“[Anappara’s] bright, propulsive prose . . . only accentuates the seriousness of her subject: the disappearance of children from villages in India, a real-life issue give intimate treatment here.”—Library Journal

“A stunningly original tale . . . I stayed up late every night until I finished, reluctant to part from Deepa Anappara’s heart-stealing characters.”—Etaf Rum, New York Times bestselling author of A Woman Is No Man

“A brilliant debut.”—Ian McEwan