A Bowstring Winter

‘It was the code of friendship. Like a bowstring: tight. Like an arrow: straight.’ When John Dkhar arrives at Kaizang Restaurant, Shillong, one cold November evening, he has no premonition that his life is about to change forever. A loner by nature, and the very epitome of culture and refinement, John comes across people he will soon be involved with in a deadly game of passion and hatred, trust and treachery: James Kharlukhi, tough and uncompromising, a leader born with a lust for danger; Jennifer D’Santos, companion to James, whose love for John can only lead to tragedy; Charlie, aloof, enigmatic, hounded by an ugly face which will lead him to murder; and Dor Kharkongor, ace archer, the spirit of the hills, caught between single-minded loyalty to James and paternal affection for John. Set against the lush landscape of Shillong, Dhruva Hazarika’s tale of revenge and violence brilliantly evokes the sights and smells of north-east India while narrating a dynamic tale which addresses the universal themes of friendship, loyalty and the inherent loneliness of man.