City of Ghosts

It's 1919 and Amritsar is a city on the brink of rebellion. Riots, violence and tension spill onto the streets . . . Bissen Singh fought bravely for the British Empire during World War One. Now he waits patiently for news from England. Gurdial, a young orphan, is desperate to marry Sohni, the daughter of a rich and evil man. And Jeevan, Gurdial's oldest friend, is swept up in the revolution and changing beyond all recognition. Bissen, Gurdial and Jeevan are looking to the future whilst trying to escape ghosts from the past. But as the fight for Amritsar reaches a terrifying climax, their lives will be changed for ever. An epic story of love and life, war and death from multi-award-winning author Bali Rai.

Heart-rending tale from a talented author -- Amanda Craig * The Times * One of the most beautiful novels of the season. This is a powerful story of love and friendship set against a backdrop of war and revolution in Amritsar in 1919 * The Bookseller * Bali Rai has deep understanding of the conflicting cultures he depicts, and is a skilful and beguiling storyteller. His novel works admirably on several levels. Although two of his three chosen lives are fated to end sadly, the story as a whole is impressive, enjoyable and enlightening * Books For Keeps *.

Reviews

City of Ghosts is Bali Rai's seventh young adult novel with Random House. His first,(un)arrangedmarriage, created a huge amount of interest and won many awards, including the Angus Book Award and the Leicester Book of the Year. It was also shortlisted for the prestigious Branford Boase first novel award. Rani and Sukh and The Whisper were both shortlisted for the Booktrust Teenage Prize. Bali also writes the hugely popular Soccer Squad series for younger readers. Bali was born in Leicester where he still lives, writing full-time and visiting schools to talk about his books. You can visit him at www.balirai.co.uk.