The Roof Beneath Their Feet
India

The Roof Beneath Their Feet

by Geetanjali Shree

Freedom & Resistance Literary Fiction Fiction 2013

Summary

In a close-knit residential complex in India, the rooftops of Laburnum House offer a rare refuge from the expectations and restrictions of everyday life. Chachcho, trapped in a lonely marriage, finds companionship in Lalna, a woman abandoned by her husband whom she takes into her home. Their intense and unconventional bond soon becomes the subject of neighbourhood gossip, as their closeness challenges accepted ideas about marriage, female desire and respectability. Years later, following Chachcho’s death, Lalna returns, prompting Chachcho’s nephew, Bitva, to revisit family memories and question the story of his own origins. Moving between perspectives and shifting recollections, Geetanjali Shree creates an intricate portrait of women’s lives, hidden desires and the stories families tell to protect themselves. The rooftop becomes a powerful symbol of freedom—a space where women can escape the watchful eyes of society and imagine lives beyond its boundaries.

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About the author
Geetanjali Shree
Geetanjali Shree

Geetanjali Shree is an acclaimed Indian novelist and short-story writer who writes in Hindi. Born in 1957 in Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh, she grew up in a family that moved frequently because her father worked in the Indian administrative service. Her writing explores family relationships, gender, memory, identity and the complexities of Indian society, often combining experimental narrative techniques with playful, lyrical prose. Shree has written five novels and five collections of short stories. Her works include Mai, Our City That Year, The Roof Beneath Their Feet and The Empty Space. She achieved international recognition when Tomb of Sand, translated from Hindi into English by Daisy Rockwell, won the 2022 International Booker Prize—the first book written in an Indian language to receive the award. Her work has been translated into numerous Indian and international languages. She lives in New Delhi, where she continues to contribute to contemporary Hindi literature.

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Details
Published
2013
Author
Geetanjali Shree