Wrong Parting

When a brown-skinned girl speaks like a duchess, havoc can result.

These weird and wonderful stories veer from childhood cruelty on an idyllic isle, to escapades in '60s London and Rome and beyond. Innocence gets lost and exploited amid a clash of caste and class. Emotions are raw and the humour is raucous.

Set against the sumptuous contrasts of Sri Lanka, India and beyond, Wrong Parting is a lively exploration of human identity and loss through cultures where young girls negotiate an unfair world. Sixteen compelling stories follow diverse races, each with unique challenges. Characters range from innocent misfits to outcasts who are the objects of society's curiosity, fear, and even admiration. You are transported into the worlds of British-Sinhala orphans deserted by their Tea-Planter dads; into female labour in the middle east, even leprosy and the indelible stigma surrounding it, written in an authentic voice.