Description
The captivating story of building a home and a garden on the edge of the Himalayan wilds, illuminated by the author’s own watercolours.
When novelist Anuradha Roy and her husband stumble upon a derelict cottage in the hill station of Ranikhet, they decide it is where they will now live. Leaving behind the freneticism of Delhi, Roy is initially bemused by the gentle pace of life in the mountains. Before long, however, she is won over: spellbound by the landscape, taken to the heart of her sometimes recalcitrant neighbours and adopted by four mountain dogs and counting.
Over twenty-five years, as Roy becomes accustomed to living among forests where leopards roam freely, she will come to encounter nature at its most fierce, beautiful and vulnerable – and bear witness to the destructive impact of global warming on the alpine ecosystem.
Called by the Hills: A Home in the Himalaya is a tender and intimate portrait of a home, a community and a rugged, extraordinary landscape. Written with unsentimental clarity, humour and poignancy, this is an account of profound transformations.
‘Lyrically written and combining memoir, history, travel and nature writing, this is a testament to both Roy’s talent and the power of a beautiful if brutal place.’ Daily Mail
‘Her intimate portrait of the town combines poetic descriptions of landscapes with reflections on climate change.’ Monocle Alpino
‘A literary and sensory triumph.’ Sunday Post
‘Both a gardening memoir and a love letter to an endless forest that now faces an ending, as climate change begins to muddle the seasons.’ The Conversation
‘Makes you want to rush to the Himalaya, see the flower valleys and the bold leopards, gossip with the local cowherds, tend the stray dogs and help out in the author’s wayward garden. In every way a beautiful book.’ Sebastian Faulks
‘Elegant, witty, literary and humane. This is a portrait of a place that will touch your soul.’ Sophy Roberts
‘Entrancing, consoling, humorous and wise, Called by the Hills made me melancholy for a place I have never visited, homesick for a house and garden I’ve never known and fondly attached to people I’ve never encountered. I felt as if I held the Himalayas in my hands while I read it.’ Chloe Dalton
‘One of India’s greatest living authors.’ O Magazine
‘Poetic and evocative, Roy’s writing is a joy.’ Financial Times
‘Lyrical, evocative, quiet, joy-filled and so vivid that it carries with it a whiff of pine-scented air in polluted Delhi.’ Tribune
‘A thing of beauty . . . As in her novels, Roy’s prose remains finely chiselled, lyrical but never sentimental, her luminous wit shining through the sentences.’ Somak Ghoshal, livemint
‘A beautifully crafted ode to the Himalaya as well as a heartfelt lament for its continuing degradation.’ Vineetha Mokkil, Outlook
‘A fantastic writer.’ Aditya Mani Jha, Reader’s Digest
‘Roy’s affection for her surroundings comes through loud and clear, her words describing it all in exquisite prose . . . Profoundly likeable.’ Madhulika Liddle, Scroll.In
‘Roy writes with the honesty of someone who has lived the seasons, counted the quiet evenings, and learned the hard truths about life in the mountains . . . She shows how the land slowly builds a steadier version of you.’ Ameya
‘Her valley is full of small details and quiet patterns, revealing the mountains as they are and the communities that anchor them in compassion and kindness.’ Asian Review of Books
‘A very thoughtful, meditative book and with a definite narrative arc.’ Hindustan Times
