Brilliantly comic and almost unbearably moving, Jerry Pinto's Em and the Big Hoom is one of the most powerful and original fiction debuts of recent years.

'Profoundly moving. I cannot remember when I last read something as touching as this' Amitav Ghosh

'Hilarious, reckless, brilliant' Kiran Desai

In a tiny flat in Bombay Imelda Mendes - Em to her family - is by turns flamboyant, maniacally affectionate and cruelly candid. Her husband - Augustine, the 'Big Hoom' - and two children must endure her 'microweathers': swings from searing joy to brooding malevolence.

And here is the story of how this family of four came to be. Of how Imelda was courted by Augustine - 'Hello, Buttercup' - and of how with the passage of time and the arrival of her children she slowly turned into Em, loving and loathing a world terrified of her extravagant excesses . . .

'A near-perfect account of a psychologically troubled mother. Touching and funny' Irish Times

'Delightful. Pinto is quite a genius with dialogue' Guardian

Jerry Pinto has been a mathematics tutor, school librarian and journalist and is now associated with MelJol, an NGO that works in the sphere of child rights. He has edited several anthologies including, most recently, an anthology on his native city, Mumbai.

About the Author
Jerry Pinto lives and works in Mumbai. He has been a mathematics tutor, school librarian, journalist and columnist. He is now associated with MelJol, an NGO that works in the sphere of child rights. His published works include a book of poems, Asylum, and Helen: The Life and Times of an H-Bomb, which won the National Award for the Best Book on Cinema in 2007. Em and the Big Hoom is his first novel.

Reviews
A rare, brilliant book, one that is wonderfully different from any other that I have read coming out of India -- Kiran Desai
I can't remember the last time I wanted to read a book so much . . . Genius * Guardian *
Powerful . . . flashes of telling detail * Sunday Times *
A profoundly moving book: I cannot remember when I last read something as touching as this -- Amitav Ghosh
Pinto's narrative is both brutal and beautiful * Business Standard Book Review *
Deeply engrossing, finely-tuned, and told with a moving and luminous clarity, this is a splendid and memorable debut * The Hindu *
A small and beautiful book . . . Pinto's writing has startling sweetness -- Asian Review of Books
Em and the Big Hoom is a joyous read that leaves you chuckling and sad, at once -- The Asian Age



Book Information
ISBN 9780241966518
Author Jerry Pinto
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Penguin Books Ltd
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 200g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 15mm