Bali Rai,
Rani and Sukh: a Modern Tale of Love and Vengeance
Corgi, 2004.
ISBN: 0 552 54890 1

In 1960s rural Punjab, Billah Bains and Kulwant Sandhu nurture a forbidden love, but when their relationship is discovered, the Bains family have to face the wrath of Kulwant's father, angry at this daughter's lost izzat (honour). The lovers' deaths spark a bitter blood feud between the families, which has repercussions years later in contemporary Leicester when Sukh Bains and Rani Sandhu fall in love. Sukh's sister realises that their tragically interlinked past may, amost inexorably, be repeating itself. Rai's snappily-written dialogue and stream-of-consciousness narrative create a vivid, fast-moving take on the Romeo & Juliet story, exploring the experience of young urban British Asians, negotiating their way through two cultures, and the tragedy of enduring feuds.

RA 13+/IL 13+
Reviewed by Helen Simmons
Spring 2004