"All the figures in this book...are irresistible comic manifestations."― The New Yorker This witty and perceptive novel is about Prem, a young teacher in New Delhi who has just become a householder and is finding his responsibilities perplexing. According to the ancient writings there are four stages in a man's life: first he is a child, then a student: after that comes the life of a householder, when a man must raise a family and see to their needs. This witty and perceptive novel is about Prem, a young teacher in New Delhi who has just become a householder and is finding his responsibilities perplexing. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala , CBE, is a Booker prize-winning novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. She has won two Academy Awards for her work in film. She lives in New York and in India.