Bhattacharya . . . serves up an illuminating tale about a woman fighting for her agency in India . . . Through Charu's experiences, Bhattacharya provides a wide-angle view of India's inequality and patriarchal gender roles, all while depicting in intimate detail how his protagonist struggles to live on her own terms.

Publishers Weekly

Tracing Charu's story against tidal forces of history is brilliant, and her perception of feminism's impact is moving.

Booklist

Rahul Bhattacharya is an extraordinary writer, and Railsong is a majestic yet profoundly tender novel. Vigorously alive to the currents of national change as well as to the tragedy, daring, humor, and love experienced in one woman's days and years, Railsong bids us to observe the worth and intricacy of one person's journey.

Megha Majumdar, bestselling author of National Book Award Finalist A GUARDIAN AND A THIEF

Magnificent. Railsong treads so lightly, and yet has such depth to it. I would follow Miss Chitol to the ends of the earth for the continued joy of her company.

Kamila Shamsie, internationally bestselling and Women's Prize for Fiction-winning author of HOME FIRE

Does anyone write better prose than Rahul Bhattacharya? Every word in this gorgeous, darting novel is a surprise. Bhattacharya has created an epic out of a single life.

Karan Mahajan, author of National Book Award Finalist THE ASSOCIATION OF SMALL BOMBS

Few works capture, with such effectiveness, the profound political and social transformations of the last decades of the twentieth century-tracing their impact from the grassroots to the highest levels of society. Negotiating the subtle, intricate bond between the language of lived experience and the language of narration, Rahul Bhattacharya meets that challenge with remarkable assurance, Railsong is a testament to the depth and brilliance of his craft. Charu's solitude permeates the novel, even when she is surrounded by people, even when she performs every duty with care. Rarely has writing so comprehensively, and precisely captured this haunting feeling-the silent burden of the missing-that stands as the novel's greatest achievement and its most profound triumph.

Vivek Shanbhag, author of GHACHAR GHOCHAR