Umi Sinha Author and Teacher

Belonging novel

Belonging

From the darkest days of the British Raj to the aftermath of the First World War, Belonging tells the interwoven story of three generations and their struggles to understand and free themselves from a troubled history steeped in colonial violence. This is a novel of secrets that unwind through Lila Langdon’s story of exile to England, through her grandmother Cecily’s letters home from India, and through the diaries kept by her father, Henry, as he puzzles over the enigma of his birth and his stormy marriage to the mysterious Rebecca.
Publisher: Myriad Editions
ISBN: 978-1-908434-74-6
BELONGING is available from all major booksellers or post-free online from  Hive.co.uk, which is run by independent booksellers. It has over a thousand 4 and 5 star ratings on Amazon.co.uk
BELONGING has been published in Portuguese and Polish and in an Indian edition in English.
SHORTLISTED – THE AUTHOR’S CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD.
SHORTLISTED – THE WAVERTON GOOD READS AWARD 2017
LONGLISTED – THE HISTORICAL WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION GOLDSBORO DEBUT CROWN AWARD.
LONGLISTED – THE TATA LIVELIT! BEST BOOK AWARD

Recent Reviews for Belonging

“Umi Sinha’s Belonging unfurls a dynastic saga through three generations of one troubled family, stretching from the Indian Rebellion to the aftermath of the Great War. The back-and-forth narrative is built on a sturdy armature of deep research, finely wrought prose and expert characterisation. Its focus on the search for love and connection in a chaotic, divided society is hugely affecting.“
Review from Anthony Quinn, judge of The Author’s Club Best First Novel Award
“My heartfelt congratulations on Belonging. It is, to put it simply, magnificent. Please accept huge kudos from a fellow author for a wonderful, wonderful book.
Ben Kane – author of “Clash of Empires”, “Legions of Rome”, “Spartacus” and “Hannibal” series.
“I was hugely impressed, this is an immensely powerful novel and it’s hard to believe it’s a debut.”
Kushti Guardian Books Blog (March 2016)
“Unforgettable, emotional, compelling. Belonging is a story I won’t be able to forget.”
Jera’s Jamboree blog
“Probably one of the most undiscovered and underrated books from the past year. This is a book worth reading again. Beautiful and elegant.”
​Reviewed by Bigsna on Goodreads
“We are living now through an unprecedented migration of displaced peoples and the reaction of belligerent nationalism and terrorism as people struggle to establish a sense of belonging, making ‘Belonging’ by Umi Sinha, its questions and understanding thoroughly relevant to the central problem of today.”
Reviewed by “ear” on Amazon.co.uk
“Sinha’s book is a delight because it deviates from the predictable anti-colonial narrative and instead portrays the intimate lives of the colonials and not the natives. Also, the writing is both gripping and well-researched. She gets the history right.”
The New Indian Express
“Belonging illustrates the complexity of Anglo-Indian relationships in colonial India and England, Indian soldiers’ valiant WWI service, and the pain of dislocation and unattainable love. Reading it is a deeply felt, mesmerizing experience.”
You can read the whole review at Reading the Past blog

“If all the books I read this year are as wonderful as this first one then 2016 is going to be a great year for us book lovers!!”T.F. White on amazon.co.uk

“Love is the overriding emotion in this novel, a deep love that comes from understanding what has gone before in the hope that what is to come will be better, which is why this novel is one of my favourite books of the year.”
Pamreader – My Top Ten Novels of 2015

“This is a dream of a book. Beautifully written and movingly told.”
Laura Lockington – Brighton & Hove Independent

“What ‘Belonging’ also succeeds in showing us is that our personal histories are deeply intertwined not only with the era in which we live and the events we experience, but also those experiences our families have endured and survived in the past. We are shaped as much by their history as our own. History, it seems is a collective as well as an individual experience.”
Jen Harvey Click on her name for the full review: a masterly analysis of the themes of the book which even I found illuminating

“The author remarkably paints the societal system where sahibs and their bibis, paedophily, incest, cheating wives and friends are juxtaposed with loyalty, honour, valour, sensitivity and true love.“
You can read the whole review on The Tribune website

And from Tripfiction, who recommend reading for travellers, followed by a question and answer session.