Nine-year-old Tharush notices things: from the ennui trapped in his mother’s intelligent eyes, to the invisible but very real bubble of wealth he lives in. And when he notices, he dreams, creating stories of Sky Pirates and aliens and super fighter planes.

New to the upscale residential complex Tharush lives in is Aakash. Shy and secretive, Aakash has unusual skills: he can pick locks, bandage wounds and, like Tharush, creates fantastic tales. Except that Aakash’s stories aren’t about Sky Pirates, or aliens, or super fighter planes. They are lies, and he can tell them very well.

When Tharush finds out the truth behind Aakash’s bruises, the two of them are bound together in a toxic secret that might slowly poison them both.

Reviews

“The novel derives its strength in creating moments between a child and an adult, a parent and another parent, one child and another, and the child and himself; in doing so, we cannot help but step inside the universe of Reyna Heights as though we belong to it, as though we are the curtains in the homes, the bed sheets that often hold Tharush’s tears, the invisible flight of the fighter planes that watch him as he creates a world out of thin air and fills it with magical details, ‘spaceman heroes’ who save the world, and ‘alien money and prototype rockets’.” – Nandini Varma, Kitaab.org

“Damini’s writing style is enthralling, and incredibly personal.” – Amitoj Singh, Amazon

“This is a fantastic novel from a very talented debut author. Beautifully written with vividly drawn characters this book is heartfelt and heart breaking.” – Sarah Hindmarsh, Goodreads

Get Your Copy

Purchase Your Copy Here!
Amazon India
Amazon USA
Also available at Crosswords Bookstores across India.

If you would like to have a copy delivered outside of India and USA, get in touch! We’ll figure something out.