Altaf Hussein, a young Muslim student, has been abducted from his college hostel. The authorities have washed their hands off the matter and the police are accused of a cover up. Rumours claim he has gone to fight the jihad in Iraq. More sinister rumours have him tortured and murdered for opposing the Nationalist students who are on a rampage to create a Hindu homeland in India, driving out Liberal supporters like Altaf and their decadent ideals.The divide between Liberals and Nationalists invades the Sengupta household in Kolkata when Joy, a bank manager, and Rohini, his schoolteacher wife-both compassionate humanists-learn the shocking news that their only son Bobby has become a leader of the Nationalist students and is implicated in Altaf's disappearance. Disbelief turns to anguish when they encounter his belligerent ideology and his not-too-convincing denial of his role in the Altaf affair.Out to solve the mystery of Altaf, Joy and Rohini discover conspiracy and hate, forbidden love and exceptional courage, come face to face with a world caught between the real and the ideal. But will they succeed in absolving their son of the heinous crime? Will Altaf be found after all? Or will they, and this fractured nation, pay the ultimate price for harbouring a fractured heart? Review 'Communalism turns men into bombs. They invade lives and explode, recruit the unsuspecting in the army of hate. This brilliantly absorbing novel tells the story of the human bombs and their victims.' -- Ravish Kumar, Magsaysay award-winning Indian journalist and author'Evocative, engrossing, and shot through with the tension of a dangerous new era, Kunal Basu'sIn An Ideal World explores the challenging dynamics of family ties and political turmoil. Through his portrait of the Sengupta family and the kidnapping of a Muslim student, Basu paints a disturbing picture of a country where the ties that bind us have come under intolerable strain.' -- Shashi Tharoor, Indian parliamentarian, author and former UN Under-Secretary-General'In an Ideal World is a searing account of a world being shattered by commonplace prejudices and complicity. It is a powerful meditation on communalism and its irrevocable hold on our lives. Kunal Basu's narrative gifts shed light on the deepest divisions of our times.' -- Pratap Bhanu Mehta, academician'A gripping novel in which the political meets the personal in a "fractured land"' -- Shobhaa De, author and columnist About the Author Kunal Basu is the author of several critically acclaimed novels, including The Miniaturist and Kalkatta. The Japanese Wife, from his collection of stories by the same name, has been made into an award-winning film. He has also written novels in Bengali, and for cinema. Born in Kolkata, he was educated in India and the United States. He lives in Oxford and Kolkata.You can reach him at www.kunalbasu.com.
