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Fireflies
Fireflies
Nov 15, 2025 9:56 AM

Author:Shiva Naipaul

Fireflies

Shiva Naipaul was the brother of V. S. Naipaul and author of Firefles and The Chip-Chip Gatherers. Fireflies, his first novel, published in 1970 and longlisted for the 'Lost Man Booker Award' in 2010, is set in Naipaul's native Trinidad. It includes a new foreword by Amit Chaudhuri.

The Khojas are Trinidad's most venerated Hindu family. Rigidly orthodox, presiding over acres of ill-kept sugarcane and hoards of jewellery enthusiastically guarded by old Mrs Khoja, they seem to have triumphed more by default than by anything else. Only 'Baby' Khoja, who is parcelled off into an arranged marriage with a blustering bus driver, proves an exception to this rule. Her heroic story - of resourcefulness, strength and survival - is the gleaming thread in Shiva Naipaul's ferociously comic and profoundly sad first novel.

Reviews

One of the most interesting and critically underrated novelists we have . . . The Folklore of Discworld - co-authored with the eminent folklorist Jacqueline Simpson - emphasises his irreverence and drollery.

—— The Times

Pratchett is, like Mark Twain, or Jonathan Swift, not just a great writer but also an original thinker . . . funny, exciting, lighthearted and, like all the best comedy, very serious.

—— Guardian

Simpson provides depth to the real-world analogues of the Discworold characters, and the text becomes a neatly integrated discussion of folklore, belief systems and the like in both worlds...well written and will raise a smile...a fine Hogswatch present.

—— Fortean Times

Medvei's fable about the inexplicable nature of human passion unfolds with a gentle surrealism

—— Financial Times

This absolutely engrossing tale is written with serene poise

—— Sunday Times

By the end, as with the French classic The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the novel emerges as a cautionary tale of such subtlety that its truths - about dependency, love and ownership - are made bearable by the manner of their telling. And by their philosophical charm - which is Medvei's gift

—— Tom Adair , Scotsman

The most affectionate literary portrait since Bottom was 'translated' in A Midsummer Night's Dream

—— Michael Arditti , Daily Mail

It's short and definitely a page-turner - but with lingering thoughtfulness, rather than the rush-through-discard-immediately feel of some fast-paced books… He certainly knows how to craft a novel so that the reader rushes through, loving every moment, curious as to what the next page will hold

—— Stuck in a Book (blog)

This is a wildly entertaining book but, beware, it also bites

—— Neel Mukherjee

Achingly funny, touching and fizzing with intelligence, this book will have you laughing out loud even as you fear for the state of world politics

—— Tash Aw

A delicious bon-bon of a book, skewering Pakistani society.Great good fun

—— . - Daniyal Mueenuddin, author of In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, shortlisted for the National Book Award

In Makkai's picaresque first novel, Lucy, a 26-year-old children's librarian, "borrows" her favorite patron, bright, book-loving 10-year-old Ian, after his fundamentalist parents enroll him in a program meant to "cure" his nascent homosexuality.

—— Booklist

His biggest, most ambitious and most engaging novel to date

—— The Times

Psychological acuity, a wonderful linguistic precision and the ability to make beautiful accordance between form and content via thoughtful narrative experiment. Gods without Men is a step further along the road towards the full realisation of Kunzru's early promise. It makes undeniable the claim that he is one of our most important novelists . . . As large and cruel and real as life

—— Independent on Sunday

Ambitiously eclectic . . . smartly sharp social detail, high-fidelity dialogue, vivid evocation of place . . . ironic wit and exuberant guyings of paranormal gobbledegook

—— The Sunday Times

Fuelled by an energetic intelligence. Along with a love of big ideas came narrative zest, verbal and comic flair, and an acute eye for contemporary mores both East and West . . . Gods with Men marks another new and bold departure . . . This really is Kunru's great American novel . . . Compulsively readable, skilfully orchestrated, Kunzru's American odyssey brings a new note into his underlying preoccupation with human identity'

—— Independent

Being able to create a vivid sense of place is one of the hallmarks of a quality literary writer, but few could have done so as brilliantly as Hari Kunzru in his latest novel Gods without Men

—— Big Issue

Intensely involving . . . Gods Without Men is one of the best novels of the year

—— Daily Telegraph
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