'The glow of my cigarette picks out a dark shape lying on the ground. I bend down to take a closer look. It's a dead sparrow. I wondered if I had become that bird, disoriented and lost.'Young, handsome and contemptuous of his father's traditional ways, PK Malik leaves Bombay to start a new life in America. Stopping in Manchester to visit an old friend, he thinks he sees a business opportunity, and decides to stay on. Now fifty-five, PK has fallen out of love with life. His...

Manchester has a reputation for being one of the UK’s loudest cities. From its smoggy inception as the first industrial city to its proud traditions of protest and activism, to blazing a trail in the British music scene, the city has always been defined by an inexorable sense of urgency and activity. No wonder, then, that it feels compelled to shout so loudly about its accomplishments.In stark contrast, The Book of Manchester is more concerned with dialling down that sometimes deaf...

Sensual and surprising stories that play a tantalising game of hide-and-seek with lies and truth. Chameleon-like characters slip in and out of shadows as they construct elaborate ruses and clutch at worlds that remain just out of reach. Their appetite for life is by turns bitter and sweet but never predictable. An old recipe, an outing, a robot, a key - clues to people they once were or hope to be.