I’m not as interested in what may come as what already is, says the 35-year-old journalist-turned-author, who is also the son of noted former journalist and current Indian minister of state for external affairs M.J. He works as a consulting editor with Mint, a leading Indian newspaper. And thats exactly what makes Prayaag Akbars debut novel Leila such a gripping and terrifying read.

His award- winning reporting and commentary have examined various aspects of marginalisation in India. He studied economicsat Dartmouth College and comparative politics at the London School of Economics. Prayaag Akbar was born in Kolkata in 1982. But can Shalini find a way back in? Will she see Leila again? In this repressive state, where tradition and purity are valued above all, those outside the city walls - forced to live in filth and oppressive heat - are less than nothing. She trawls the streets desperate to discover where Leila now lives - if she lives at all. Shalini, once privileged, is now disgraced. Her husband gone: beaten and dragged from their home the night Leila disappeared. It was published by Simon & Schuster in several formats worldwide on 20 April 2017 and received a positive critical reception. Netflix series coming in June 2019Perfect for fans of The Handmaids Tale Shalini will never forget her daughter Leilas third birthday party: it was the. In the forgotten spaces between, where garbage gathers and disease festers, Shalini must search for Leila, the daughter she lost.

Set in the 2040s, the story follows Shalini, who tries to find her missing daughter Leila in a totalitarian regime. Sixteen years have passed and Shalini's life is unrecognizable. Leila is a 2017 Indian dystopian novel written by Prayaag Akbar. Shalini will never forget her daughter Leila's third birthday party: it was the last time she saw her alive.

Leila by Prayaag Akbar