It is often the case that authors who enjoy critical acclaim for their debut novels become burdened by public pressure to write an equally good follow-up. Kiran Desai, however, defies generalization and crafts a literary masterpiece with her stunning sophomoric effort, The Inheritance of Loss.

Set in India in the mid-80's and using the Nepalese fight for independence as a backdrop, Desai transports us to the lush, Northern town of Kalimpong. Jemubhai Patel is a retired, Cambridge-educated judge who spends his days in the company of his cook and his beloved dog. Two spinster sisters (Noni and Lola) make their home next door. When the judge's daughter dies tragically, he is forced to welcome his 17 year-old granddaughter Sai into his lonely home. A playful romance ensues between Sai and her Nepalese tutor, Gyan. Across the Atlantic, the cook's son, Biju, hops from one greasy spoon to another, frantically trying to hold a job for longer than a month.

Desai paints a powerful portrait of each character and their problems. Culture, class and modernity all come into play as they navigate their way through first and third worlds. The judge's experience as a student in England is closely paralleled by Biju's turn as a foreigner in New York. Perhaps it is stubbornness, a refusal to acknowledge that a place deemed so magnificent is in fact a huge disappointment, but neither the judge nor Biju can admit the cold truth about Western society to their peers.

The view that the Western world holds more promise than India is further vindicated by Lola, whose daughter works for the BBC in London. "Lola purred with pride and heard nothing but the sanitized elegance of her daughter's voice. 'Better leave sooner rather than later,' she had advised Pixie long ago, 'India is a sinking ship…the doors won't stay open forever." Caught in the middle of everyone else's conflicts is Sai. Flushed with happiness over her budding romance, she is quickly struck down when Gyan abruptly turns on her.

Criticism comes in the form of Desai's writing style. One minute her words are eloquent, tumbling off the page in a euphonious manner, while the next they are laconic and choppy. She has valid reasons for adopting this style, yet it tends to disrupt the flow of the novel. As well, the reader is left to determine the fates of many of the main characters, a tactic not always enjoyed by those who prefer Happily Ever After. Yet because of her reluctance to tie up loose ends, Desai forces the reader to continue thinking about the novel, which is a triumph in itself.

The Inheritance of Loss was championed by critics everywhere and deservedly so. Though separated by distance, class, and generation, these things prove to be arbitrary as the characters in the novel are united by their search for meaning and answers. Comical and heart-rending, The Inheritance of Loss is sure to leave an indelible mark on those who read it.