The Fertile Earth

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2025 DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE * SHORTLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION PRIZE * SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2026 ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE

'Dazzling... Plot-packed, emotionally extravagant, dramatically intense' Guardian

A sweeping story of forbidden love, of friendship and betrayal, power and revenge, set against the tumultuous political landscape of post-Independence India

Vijaya and Sree are the daughters of the wealthy, landowning Deshmukh family, whose social status and power are absolute in the tiny village of Irumi. Krishna and Ranga are the sons of a widowed servant who works in the Deshmukh household. 

The four children should never have spoken, let alone forged a friendship. But the bonds they form are intense – and dangerous. When they are caught up in a devastating accident, the consequences ripple through their lives and send them scattering to different corners of India. 

Years later, when violent uprisings tear across the countryside, Vijaya and Krishna find themselves irresistibly drawn back to one another, despite the differences in their class and background. But this is not the India they once knew. Their country is changing, burning from the inside out. Irumi is no longer safe.  

'A heart-wrenching tale of forbidden love.'  Washington Post

'Rao's illuminating tale of moral corruption and redemptive love is beautifully crafted [and] heralds a terrific new talent.' Observer 

'A spellbinding epic of land, class and family in post-independence India.' Aube Rey Lescure