Our Lady of Alice Bhatti

Shortlisted for the DSC Prize for Asian Literature 2013. About the Book: Our Lady of Alice Bhatti The feisty second novel from the author of the acclaimed A Case of Exploding Mangoes For Alice Bhatti, a job as Replacement Junior Nurse at thestench-ridden Sacred Heart Hospital for All Ailments is a welcomerespite after doing time at the Borstal Jail. A chance encounterwith Teddy Butt, ex-body builder and member of the nefariousGentleman's Squad of police, ends in an unlikely romance betweenthe two. But being a Catholic choohra in an Islamic world comes with itsfair share of prejudices. Repeatedly ostracized on account of hergender and trapped by the caste system, Alice must resiststereotypes and find grace amidst increasing in tolerance. Set in modern-day Karachi, Pakistan, Our Lady of Alice Bhatti isrambunctious, defiant and uncompromising. Darkly humorous andwritten in the author's trademark satirical style, it capturesanation in bedlam and reaffirms Hanif's reputation as one of themost distinctive voices from the Subcontinent. About the Author: Mohammed Hanif Mohammed Hanif is the author of the highly acclaimed A Case ofExploding Mangoes, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize,shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and was the winner ofthe Commonwealth First Book Award. He lives in Karachi with hisfamily. Reviews 'Our Lady of Alice Bhatti is a deft, evil little novel ofcomicgenius'- New York Times 'Hanif does Karachi better than Rushdie does Bombay'- Robin Yassin-Kassab, Guardian 'His vivid prose has tremendous immediacy'- Daily Mail 'A tragicomedy of Shakespearean proportions'- Time Out 'The wry narrative refreshingly resists all manner ofstereotypes and flowery sentimentality'- Independent 'Rambunctious, vulgar, funny and moving, Our Lady of AliceBhatti wields enormous emotional punch'- Time 'The novel's greatest strength is its characters-the minor onesas poignantly charged as the main'- Iman Qureshi, Independent 'Hanif's novel is as ribald as Ma