Published in 2025
287 pages
Uttama Kirit Patel is a writer and magazine founder and editor, and has lived in twelve cities across three continents. She holds an MPhil in Psychology from the University of Cambridge, has been a semi-finalist in the Raymond Carver Short Story Contest, and was nominated for the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers.
What is this book about?
Patel has embraced her inner Jane Austen for this tale, which tackles the social mores of the wider Indian diaspora living in the UAE.
Lina never wanted children, but now there are two lines on the test. Where does she go from here?
Lina Solanki is pregnant and newly orphaned, living with her in-laws in their opulent Dubai villa. While her husband fails to make concrete plans to find their own place and tensions in their marriage grow, Lina’s boisterous mother-in-law interferes with every aspect of the pregnancy. Then, when proof of a horrifying family secret arrives from Mumbai, Lina realises that she has a choice when it comes to her baby, her marriage and her place in the world – but is it a choice she wants to make?
A bittersweet yet life-affirming debut revealing the intricacies of family life behind closed doors, Shape of an Apostrophe is a taboo-breaking exploration of motherhood, obedience, rebellion and the surprising persistence of love.
