Lalwani’s skill lies in keeping premonitions of tragedy hovering through the narrative. But her ability to convey the complex interior conflict does not extend to depicting cultural differences as the family lives out long stretches in Cardiff on the promise of occasional visits to India. Instead the conflict comes through most powerfully in Mahesh’s bemusement over media reports when Rumi gains admission to Oxford University at the age of 15. They focus more on her strictly controlled life and spotlight his insular views on getting by in Britain. Yet, at the end when tragedy does finally come, for the first time there is a sense of hope.

Literary prizes and nominations are an imperfect way to take stock of new writing. But a year after the jury for the Booker — the Commonwealth’s most popular prize — almost officially counted established writers out of contention, the 2007 longlist could launch a new trend: books being present on literary and thematic reasons.

The Man Booker Prize longlist:

Darkmans by Nicola Barker

Self Help by Edward Docx

The Gift Of Rain by Tan Twan Eng

The Gathering by Anne Enright

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies

Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones

Gifted by Nikita Lalwani

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

What Was Lost by Catherine O’Flynn

Consolation by Michael Redhill

Animal’s People by Indra Sinha

Winnie & Wolf by A.N. Wilson

... contd.