Reviews
The Inheritance shows Kalayil capable of adeptly spinning a complex web of themes which enrich the story. A delicately written, optimistic and very involving novel’
Herald
‘Evok[es] a strong sense of place and gives a compelling insight into what it means to be rootless. A highly enjoyable read’
Yorkshire Post
A captivating read that will hold you in the embrace from its opening sentence to the very last word
Sunday Post
Kalayil is skilled at evoking a strong sense of place and gives a compelling insight, too, into what it means to be rootless, with characters torn between the culture of their parents and that of the society in which they grew up. A highly enjoyable read
The Scotsman
About the Book
By the Women’s Prize longlisted author of The Others.
Ben Martin is charming and successful: an academic who has raised money for children’s charities and worked with women’s agencies in sub-Saharan Africa, a devoted husband. But when his brother Francois, an artist based in Lisbon, finds out about Ben’s affair with a student, Rita Kalungal, he finds himself feeling responsible both for his brother’s actions as well as Rita; and Rita begins to realise that her involvement with Ben has far-reaching consequences on herself and her family, and others.
The Author
Sheena Kalayil
Sheena Kalayil was born in Zambia in 1970 where her parents were teachers seconded from India. She arrived in the UK aged eighteen and, after graduating, worked all over the world in countries such as Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Slovenia and Spain, before returning to the UK, to Edinburgh in 2002. She has a doctorate in Linguistics and teaches at the University of Manchester. She is the author of three novels, and lives near Manchester with her husband and two daughters. She was Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2026.
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