Westland Books is delighted to announce that Bound co-founder Michelle D’Costa’s much awaited debut novel, You Envy the Coutinhos released on 24 August, published under its acclaimed literary imprint Tranquebar. A darkly comic and intimate account of a migrant family’s life in the Gulf and its repercussions back home, the novel offers a fresh perspective on the ordinary Indian immigrant experience in the Gulf, one which has hitherto not been explored in Indian English fiction.
Set between Mangalore and Bahrain, You Envy the Coutinhos follows Joachim, who leaves home to improve his prospects and build a better life for his young family. But as the realities of immigrant life begin to catch up with him, his nephew Darrel sees only the life Joachim appears to have built and dreams of making the same journey. As their lives unfold across two countries, the novel brings together their very different experiences of family, home and the life they imagine for themselves.
Editor and publisher of Tranquebar, Sanghamitra Biswas remarked, “Michelle’s voice is strikingly original, and she deftly captures the in-betweenness of immigrant life. The Coutinhos, their family dynamics, hopes and dreams, successes and failures, will draw you in with tremendous force.”
Michelle D’Costa, speaking about the book, said, “I was 15 years old when I read The Namesake. It made me want to explore stories of South Asian migrants in the Gulf. It took 20 years for ‘You envy the Coutinhos’ to find its shape.”
The book is now available at major bookstores and online on Amazon.
About the Book
A DARKLY COMIC ACCOUNT OF A MIGRANT FAMILY’S LIFE IN GULF AND THE REPERCUSSIONS BACK HOME.
When Joachim moves to Bahrain from Mangalore to improve his prospects, little does he know how hard immigrant life can be. As he strives for a chance at a happy and successful life in the Gulf, the everyday realities threaten to overwhelm him and his young family.
Meanwhile his nephew Darrel, unaware of the struggles of their lives, envies his uncle’s family and dreams of moving to Bahrain himself.
Set in India and Bahrain, You Envy the Coutinhos is an intimate domestic novel that jostles with ideas around identity and belonging.
About the Author
Michelle D’costa is a writer based in New Zealand. She was born and raised in Bahrain and has also lived in Mumbai.