Secrets

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Yes, there was a skeleton in the cupboard, and although I never saw it, I played a small part in the events that followed its discovery . . . This brilliant new collection of stories by one of India s best-loved storytellers richly evokes Dehradun of the 1940s, with its quaint cinema halls and crumbling villas, its modest chaat-shops and ubiquitous tongas. But, as young Ruskin the narrator in these interconnected tales soon discovers, not all is as it seems in this sleepy town. Behind the tranquil facade, Dehra is home to a cast of colourful characters: from plucky old women to possible murderers. The Canal is a joyful tribute to adolescent mischief and adult resolve, in which a group of roguish boys must face the consequences of antagonizing the much-feared Miss Gamla. Over the Wall celebrates the resilience and hard-won dignity of a man ravaged by leprosy as he struggles to come to terms with his malady. The dashing young army captain in At Green s Hotel might be the perfect gentleman or a murderer. And in The Skeleton in the Cupboard , an old scandal is revived following a chance discovery, leading to wholly unexpected results.