Across the Line

A tale of borders and beliefs shaped by the games people play1947New Delhi. Cyril Radcliffe's hands are clammy partly from the heat but mostly from the enormity of the task assigned. Mopping the sweat off his brow he picks up his pen draws a deep breath--and a dark line.Rawalpindi. A barbaric frenzy of rioters fills the streets disrupting a game of pithoo between Toshi and her brother Tarlok shattering their lives unimaginably.2008Rawalpindi. Cricket-crazy Inaya is sneaking out behind her father's back for net practice when she discovers that she is not the only one in her family keeping a secret. New Delhi. Jai accidentally stumbles upon an old hidden away diary in his kitchen. The date of its last entry 17 August 1947.As Jai and Inaya's unlikely worlds collide another story unfolds. A story that started with the drawing of a line. A story that shifts the truth in their lives.'Compelling and uplifting . . . lingers long after the last page is turned' Vidya Balan Review This evocative tale of heartache buoyed by hope travels from 1947 towards the present tugging at our heartstrings and sweeping us along. A compelling and uplifting story that lingers long after the last page is turned. -- Vidya Balan About the Author Nayanika Mahtani once harboured dreams of becoming a stage actor but she followed the proverbial left side of her brain to do an MBA at IIM Bangalore and became an investment banker. A decade later she followed her heart to live in Africa. Since then she's been following the right side of her brain and is now an author and screenwriter. Nayanika's books includeAcross the LineAmbushed andThe Gory Story of Genghis Khan(aka Don't Mess with the Mongols). She has also recently co-written the story and screenplay for a Hindi film based on the extraordinary life of the mathematical genius Shakuntala Devi. Nayanika lives in London with her family their dog hamster and two goldfish named Sushi and Fishfinger.