Shining Hero

In a village just outside modem-day Calcutta, a young girl sends a baby floating down a sacred river towards an unknown destiny. Over the years, the river, the golden drain found around his neck, and the hand of fate will link the life of Baby Karna to that of a host of other characters : his teenage mother, Koonty ; his halfbrother and rival, Arjuna ; his destitute foster mother, Dolly ; as well as ruthless street thugs, politicians, pariahs and film stars. In this enchanting novel, which dips luxuriously into the richness of Indian myth and Hindu legend, Sara Banerji thrills us with the twists and turns of Karna's life. Full of tragedy, surprises and strange coincidences, it takes us on an exhilarating ride from the Calcutta underworld, to Bollywood, up into the Himalayas and culminates - as the brothers' fight for fame and fortune reaches the point of no return - in a race to the death which only one can win.