Faced with difficult choices, which path will you choose?
Satya’s life is perfect. She attends the best school in town, stands at the top of her year and has been tipped for a prize at Speech Day. Held in high esteem by her teachers and peers alike, she expects to breeze through her A-Levels and in two years’ time head to Cambridge to study Law.
But all that is about to change. Her dad’s business never recovered from the recession; the bank is chasing repayments on a loan and there’s no money left to pay her private fees. A failing school, bizarre gangs, peculiar companions and simmering violence await her. Life, it turns out, is more complicated than she thought. How will her ideals stand up to the realities thrown at them?
Everything used to seem so clear to Satya, but now it’s all a haze. She used to be so sure of her beliefs; these days, it’s as if she’s been cut adrift. It’s like she has been shaken apart. How will she find her way?
About this novel
A young adult novel periodically edited for about thirty years, and briefly self-published in various forms in 1997, 2000 and 2013. This version revisited during the pandemic in 2021, probably for the last time.
“In a ‘fanged’ young adult market infested with vampires and werewolves, Satya is a gritty, tragic, funny, intimate story where people remain people without losing a touch of excitement and the excellence of an original, daring plot.” — Aiman S Ahmed on 2013 version
“I thought that your novel captures some of the anguish and urgency of teenage emotions and life. It explores the totally shallow aspects of it as well as the very profound ones. I think until the end, even though Satya is far from a ‘perfect’ heroine, the reader feels for her and roots for her as she struggles along. I do think the book has its flaws (most do!) but I really enjoyed reading it and thought the ending came as a wonderful twist to the tale.” — Malini Srinivasan on 2013 version
“I love so much about this story! The writing is gorgeous, and all of the twists and turns keep me engaged all the way to the end. It’s complex and impactful in its message. The characters are multidimensional and seek out universal truths most readers will easily relate to.” — Oksana Marafioti on 2021 draft
At the present time, I am not contemplating publishing this as a book in print.
Disclaimer
This is a work of creative fiction. All characters in this novel are fictional, as are the thoughts and opinions expressed by them, along with the events depicted. Any familiarity with actual people, events or places is likely the product of my deep subconscious alone. Rest easy: it’s just a work of make-believe.
