Em and the Big Hoom

In a tiny flat in Bombay Imelda Mendes - Em to her family - is by turns flamboyant, maniacally affectionate and cruelly candid. Her husband - Augustine, the 'Big Hoom' - and two children must endure her 'microweathers': swings from searing joy to brooding malevolence. And here is the story of how this family of four came to be. Of how Imelda was courted by Augustine - 'Hello, Buttercup' - and of how with the passage of time and the arrival of her children she slowly turned into Em, loving and loathing a world terrified of her extravagant excesses . . . 'Profoundly moving. I cannot remember when I last read something as touching as this.' Amitav Ghosh 'Hilarious, reckless, brilliant.' Kiran Desai 'A near-perfect account of a psychologically troubled mother. Touching and funny.' Irish Times 'Delightful. Pinto is quite a genius with dialogue.' Guardian