The Opium Clerk

Set against the backdrop of 19th-century Calcutta, the novel follows Hiran as he moves from an uncertain childhood into the world of auctions and the opium trade. His unusual talent and association with Jonathan Crabbe lead him into increasingly dangerous situations involving business, politics, romance and betrayal.

Kunal Basu is an Indian novelist born in Calcutta. He has taught at universities including McGill University and Oxford University and is known for novels such as The Opium Clerk, The Miniaturist, Racists, The Yellow Emperor's Cure and Kalkatta. His writing often combines history, culture and richly imagined characters.

Hiran is born in 1857, the year of the Indian Mutiny and his father's death. Raised by his widowed mother in Calcutta, he possesses an unusual ability to detect lies by reading palms. After finding work at an auction house, Hiran becomes involved with Jonathan Crabbe, a powerful and morally questionable figure connected to the opium trade.