Cry, the Peacock.
Cry, the Peacock is the story of a young girl, Maya, obsessed by a childhood prophecy of disaster. The author builds up an atmosphere of tension as torrid and oppressive as a stifling Indian summer, both in the crowded, colourful cities and the strangely beautiful countryside. Maya’s extreme sensitivity never alienates the reader because it is rendered in terms of measurable human loneliness... How well Desai does in the business of carrying her narrative through to a satisfactory, even explosive end.' — The Times Literary Supplement, London