In Free Land, award-winning author Neel Mukherjee explores concepts that have become central to the century: Migration and asylum. Through five characters living different lives, from a cook in Mumbai to a beggar and dancing bear on the street, from a young girl who leaves her hard life in her village for a new life in the city to a construction worker who loses everything in pursuit of his dreams, Mukherjee gets to the heart of the desire to want more, to migrate to a new life. Set in India and moving between the reality of this world and the shadow of another, Free Land is a subtle structure that rises with interconnected stories. Daring, violent, yet compassionate, this novel is a fascinating exploration of the human drive for survival and mastery of one's life.

For those of us who live in comfort, Free Land requires us to imagine a world where almost no one has that comfort. This is a sign of Neel Mukherjee's influence, passion and power.

- The New York Times