Hot Water
$48.78
- Hardcover
320 pages
- Release Date
17 November 2026
Summary
It has always been Mira, Ma and Ashu. The three of them—as they sing Simon & Garfunkel in Ma’s sun-yellow car, watch TV on the sofa and holiday on the mango farm—are bound firmly together. Yet, beneath this tale of proximity, lurks another story—that of a family in hot water.
Nine-year-old Mira, fourteen-year-old Ashu and Ma harbour secrets. All of them confront questions that have no neat answers. Where is Ma’s husband, for instance? Who does Ashu pine for? Why is Mira on the ale…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781806750252 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1806750252 |
| Author: | Bhavika Govil |
| Publisher: | Jacaranda Books Art Music Ltd |
| Imprint: | Jacaranda Books Art Music Ltd |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 320 |
| Release Date: | 17 November 2026 |
| Dimensions: | 240mm x 156mm |
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Critics Review
Bhavika Govil uses imagination, insight and humour to craft a tender but unsettling family tale. A charming and confident debut that I enjoyed tremendously. – Amrita Mahale * author of Milk Teeth *Moving and gentle in the way it’s told, the voices in Hot Water orbit one another precariously, revealing a tender mess, and creating an intimate portrait of family life that’s both heartbreaking and heartening. – Aravind Jayan * author of Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors *Hot Water is a complex family story, masterfully told. Striking the chords of the heart, Govil is a writer far beyond her years daring to broach the most sensitive and taboo subjects, with delicacy and depth, bringing light to the darkest corners of our humanness. – JJ Bola * author of The Selfless Act of Breathing *
About The Author
Bhavika Govil
Bhavika Govil is a writer from New Delhi who dreams of the sea. Her short fiction has appeared in Granta and Wasafiri, and has been shortlisted for the 2026 ALCS Tom-Gallon Trust Award and the Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize. She holds a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Edinburgh and teaches writing workshops.
Hot Water is her debut novel. First published in India by Fourth Estate, HarperCollins, it was shortlisted for the Godrej Literature Live! First Book Award and appeared on national bestseller lists. An extract won the Pontas & JJ Bola Emerging Writers Prize. The novel is being translated into other languages.
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