‘“One day we wake up and the future has disappeared.” So begins adult life in Troumaron, a run-down area of Port-Louis, in Mauritius. But Devi’s young protagonists resist this erasure; boldest among them is Eve, one of the most compelling fictional characters I‘ve ever encountered – she’s up there with Ferrante’s Lila. And fans of Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels will also recognise in Devi’s account of marginalised urban lives a similar commitment to the truth of how the dispossessed struggle. An extraordinary novel, beautifully translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman.’– Natasha Soobramanien Two girls: Eve, whose body is her only weapon and source of power; Savita, Eve's best friend and the only one who loves her selflessly, planning to leave, but not without Eve. Two boys: Saadiq, gifted would-be poet, deeply in love with Eve; Clélio, the neighbourhood tough, waiting without hope for his brother to send for him from France. All are desperate to escape the cycle of fear and violence in which they are trapped.