A masterpiece debut novel from one of the UK's most exciting young writers, for fans of David Mitchell, Deepti Kapoor and Zadie Smith

AN OBSERVER BEST NEW NOVELIST 2025 SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2025 A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE INDEPENDENT, TELEGRAPH, NERVE AND GUARDIAN 'An ambitious, stylishly delivered novel ... Reminiscent of Salman Rushdie' OBSERVER 'Johal has written a major novel, and at his very first attempt' TELEGRAPH, 5-STAR REVIEW When the waters of the Saraswati, a river of legend, start to rise in a corner of northern India, seven scattered descendants of a forbidden marriage are unexpectedly swept up in its current. Satnam, adrift from his life in London, is drawn into a contentious scheme to restore the river. Nathu, an archaeologist, ventures from Nairobi to a dig site that might reveal artefacts of a lost civilisation. And elsewhere in former lands of empire - in Singapore, Canada, Mauritius and Pakistan - the ripples are felt across generations. Gurnaik Johal's panoramic debut deftly animates the passions that bind us to our histories and each other.

"Hugely ambitious, intense and dizzying ... Johal's expansive vision and propulsive story-telling mark him as a talent" - Daily Mail

"A dizzyingly transcontinental ecological epic ... Saraswati most certainly delivers, darting thrillerishly around the world to fold chewy themes of empire, populism and global warming into a cross-generational epic centred on seven strangers" - Observer, ‘Best new novelists for 2025’

"An extraordinary debut... everything in Saraswati works beautifully. Johal has written a major novel, and at his very first attempt" - Telegraph, Five-Star Review

"An ambitious, stylishly delivered novel ... reminiscent of Salman Rushdie and resembling the energy and range of David Mitchell's Ghostwritten and Zadie Smith's White Teeth" - Observer

"An epic novel that deserves to be widely read" - Irish Times

"An excellent novel" - Daily Express

"Thrilling ... an intricately patterned portrait of the Punjabi diaspora" - Times Literary Supplement

"One of the most exciting voices in British fiction" - Shruti Chauhan, BBC Radio

"Beautifully written. A fascinating, accomplished debut" - Buzz Magazine

"Johal has tremendous power as a writer, crafting some fiercely beautiful, often visionary chapters" - Big Issue

"Saraswati is a big and ambitious novel in which Johal connects history, global politics, the consequences of empire, world poverty and the climate crisis... He [Johal] has the right to rage about the state of the world his generation are inheriting and he expresses it with real passion" - Strong Words

"An ambitious panoramic portrait" - Guardian

"An ambitious novel about climate, politics, and migration that is the perfect read for anyone who loves a meaty novel with interweaving narratives" - Nerve Best Books of 2025

"Admirable ... takes real skill" - London Review of Books