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Petty jealousy, sexual desire and religious fervour combine to bring her down and to leave the reader stunned.  As the book ends, there is a sense of an unfini shed story - what will become of Latifa's child? How will she survive in the oppressive world her mother has left her in?  Mirage emerged from 1999's Booker judging as the unexpected favourite of the chairman, Gerald Kaufman, and other judges, just missing the final shortlist. It was later chosen by two of the judges, Boyd Tonkin and Shena Mackay as one of their books of that year. What made this championing of a first novel all the more surprising was the fact that it had been published by the author himself.  Chandraratna plans to take up the story of Sayeed through the eyes of Latifa's little daughter Leila in the second volume of a proposed trilogy.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49610510205201,"sku":"GOR002304541","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49611991580945,"sku":"GOR002553059","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1861591845.jpg?v=1751155492"},{"product_id":"eye-for-an-eye-book-bandula-chandraratna-9780753813560","title":"An Eye for an Eye","description":"In AN EYE FOR AN EYE, Bandula Chandraratna goes back to the closed desert kingdom where his tragic story of star-crossed lovers unfolded in MIRAGE. Despite Sayeed's desperate attempts to save her, his beautiful wife Latifa is dead. Sayeed is in debt, stricken with grief and guilt. The only star on his horizon now is the small child that Latifa left behind who, though not his own, Sayeed has come quickly to love. Leila has inherited her mother's beauty and something more - a burning anger at her mother's unjust fate and a desire to make her own way in the oppressive world she finds herself in. This is Leila's story. MIRAGE emerged from 1999 Booker judging as the unexpected favourite of the chairman, Gerald Kaufman, just missing the final shortlist. With the classic simplicity that made MIRAGE so unique, Bandula Chandraratna reignites a timeless tale of innocence and evil against a savage landscape.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49610703274257,"sku":"GOR007162257","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0753813564.jpg?v=1751233021"},{"product_id":"mirage-book-bandula-chandraratna-9781574231953","title":"Mirage","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe second book in the Web Shifter's Library series returns to the adventures of Esen, a shapeshifting alien who must navigate the perils of a hostile universe.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRelationships get complicated when you don't know who--or what--you really are. Esen must find a way to rescue a hapless group of chimeras, beings who are a new and unique blend of species she knows, when she can't become one herself. When Evan Gooseberry tries to help, he is shattered to learn he himself isn't entirely Human and begins to suspect his new friend Esen isn't what she seems. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eComplicating matters, a mysterious contagion has killed the crew of the ship that brought the chimeras--and Evan--to Botharis. Everyone's been quarantined inside the All Species' Library of Linguistics and Culture, including over a hundred disgruntled alien scholars. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The risks climb as Skalet and Lionel continue their quest to solve the disappearance of Paul's mother's ship, the \u003ci\u003eSidereal Pathfinder, \u003c\/i\u003e only to find themselves caught in a tangle of loyalties as Skalet is betrayed by her own Kraal affiliates, who infiltrate the Library. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAll of which would be quite enough for one Web-being's day, but Paul Ragem hopes to rekindle the romance of his first love. A shame Esen hasn't told him who's hiding in their greenhouse.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49897428943121,"sku":"CIN1574231952G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51038277632273,"sku":"NIN9781574231953","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1574231952.jpg?v=1750762523"},{"product_id":"an-eye-for-an-eye-rare-book-bandula-chandraratna-1658479240bbf","title":"An Eye for an Eye","description":"2001. First Published in GB. 180 pages. No dust jacket. Blue cloth. Pages remain bright and clear with minimal tanning and foxing. Binding remains firm. 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