'This gripping odyssey about the power of words underscores the importance of free speech in a chilling dystopian world. Bold, lyrical and fast-paced, this is a must-read for fans of science fiction and speculative fiction. A timeless tale of resilience against oppression.' - SOMAN CHAINANI, author, The School for Good and Evil

'Dystopian reality fiction - has Payal Kapadia just created a whole new genre? This book is a thing of beauty and will hold true forever. Deeply political, frighteningly relevant.'- PARO ANAND, author and winner of the Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar

'A tale of now, of our always-on age of Google-paedia, where the past is being constantly revised.'- ADRIAN LEVY, Emmy Award-winning journalist and author

'Audacious! Bold! Compelling! A powerful reminder that words and stories matter. A timely tale of freedom, courage and the joy of wordplay.'- BIJAL VACHHARAJANI, author

'Snatches of 1984 and echoes of The Dictionary of Lost Words. Fluid writing, winsome characters and meticulous world-building. This will make readers think long and hard about the possibilities.'- JANE DE SUZA, author

Payal Kapadia loves words for the stories they tell, even more for the stories they carry inside them. She studied English Literature at St Xavier's College, Mumbai, and earned an MSc degree (Journalism) from Northwestern University. Writing for news outlets in the USA, Hong Kong, Japan and India, she was drawn to offbeat tales of unsung heroes and lost causes: a painting pachyderm; the last Japanese soldiers of Subhas Chandra Bose's Indian National Army; and historic homes going under the hammer.

Her debut novella Wisha Wozzariter won the 2013 Crossword Book Award for Children's Writing and features in the 101 Indian Children's