Narayan

by Yusuf Misdaq

Finished in 2008, and nominated by Penguin UK for a 'Best Novel' MWA award in 2011, 'Narayan' is Yusuf Misdaq's second novel; a powerful portrait of London commuter life, filled with the lyricism and humanity that are characteristic of this author / musician's rapidly increasingly body of work.The story of Narayan, a humble, unassuming man working in a train station ticket office, is one of urban realism, and at the same time, an exploration of man's inner-world, taking on the mundane and the profound in one brave, poetic sweep. Set against a dreary Hounslow Winter, Yusuf Misdaq has crafted, out of almost nothing, a searing portrait of existential hardship and hope.Combining the whimsical and dynamic narrative-style of Kurt Vonnegut with the understated, philosophical frankness of W. Somerset Maugham, here is a powerful and heartfelt tale of today's England, told by one of its boldest new voices.***Praise for Misdaq's "...bold, emphatic, and unafraid... This is lovely, moving work, with a sense of mystery, and the possibility of unexpected discovery, forever at hand." - Khaled Hosseini (Author of 'The Kite Runner' / 'And the Mountain Echoed')"[Misdaq's] ability to see through the veil of our cultural forgetfulness informs his aesthetic imagination and invigorates his art... I’m reminded that every step is a psalm, every directed gaze is a prayer.” – Christopher Reiger (Artist & Writer for 'Hungry Hyaena')

149 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 15, 2013