Western Lane

"A rich correspondence between the rituals of grief and competition . . . Melancholy is only one of the moods of this short but brimming book. Squash is also a channel for Gopi's rage; for connections with other players and her longsuffering father; and for a joyous kind of freedom of expression . . . Maroo's writing achieves its most graceful rhythms and prescient insights. You'll want to applaud."
--Sam Sacks, The Wall Street Journal

"Polished and disciplined . . . The beauty of Maroo's novel lies in [its] unfolding, the narrative shaped as much by what is on the page as by what's left unsaid . . . In this graceful novel, the game of squash becomes a way into Gopi's grief and her attempts to process it."
--Ivy Pochoda, The New York Times Book Review

"A poignant illustration of the power of sports to help a family deal with grief--and each other--as they gradually make their way out of the darkness . . . [Maroo] is a marvelous and restrained storyteller."
--Shahina Piyarali, Shelf Awareness

"Maroo's tale traverses the complexities of one family with an understated beauty, simultaneously graceful and teeming with fierceness, much like Gopi on the court. It is a powerful coming-of-age story, a tale of growing up as much as a tale of grief."
--Abeje Schnake, Booklist

"Compact and powerful . . . This will invigorate readers."
--Publisher's Weekly

"Subtle and elegant . . . Gopi's retrospective narration accumulates slow layers of heartbreak as the story proceeds, patiently building up an entire landscape of emotion through gestures, silences, and overheard murmurings in the dark. A debut novel of immense poise and promise."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Starting off as an intimate tone poem, this story of a squash-obsessed teenager expands into something with the amplitude, depth, and ringing power of a great symphony. In other words--WOW. Western Lane is glorious. You'll want to read it over and over again."
--Aravind Adiga, author of Amnesty

"Combining the precision and the efficiency of an athlete with the mysteries of childhood loss and memory, Western Lane is a novel in which we linger on every breathing line and relish every close observation. What an exceptionally talented writer Chetna Maroo is!"
--Yiyun Li, author of The Book of Goose