All the Lives We Never Lived
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 14 May 2018 |
| Founder | Anuradha Roy |
| Products | Book |
All the Lives We Never Lived is a novel authored by Anuradha Roy, released on 14 May 2018 through Hachette India. It was honored with the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2022.
Plot
The narrative centers on Myshkin and his mother Gayatri, an artist who leaves her family behind in search of personal liberation. Amid the backdrop of the rise of Nazism, a German artist connected to Gayatri's earlier life comes looking for her.
Critical reception
Kamila Shamsie writing for The Guardian called the book "a beautifully crafted blend of imagined and historical lives confronting themes of love and grief." Seán Hewitt from The Irish Times highlighted its expansive yet intimate portrayal spanning different eras and locations. Fathima M of The Wire commended its artistic merit, noting its frequent inclusion in literary award shortlists. While Chandrima S. Bhattachary of The Telegraph recognized the strength of its prose despite certain imperfections, Leah Franqui in The New York Times described the work more as a reflective meditation than a conventional narrative.
Additional critiques were published by Ron Charles in The Washington Post, Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar for The Hindu, Erica Pearson at Star Tribune, and Naina Bajekal in Time.
Awards
- Winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2022
- Finalist for the International Dublin Literary Award in 2020
- Shortlisted for The Hindu Literary Prize in 2018
- Included on the longlist for the Walter Scott Prize in 2019
- Longlisted for the JCB Prize in 2018
- Named Fiction Book of the Year by Tata Literature Live Awards in 2018