Little Hands of Silk

In southern India, in 1992, silkworms feed on Mulberry leaves and spin cocoons of silk. Six days a week, twelve hours a day, fourteen-year-old Manju and his friend Shiva toil in the brutal confines of the Factory, which runs under the merciless leadership of Pandu. Lives improve for the two boys when they cross paths with Sunil, a city-bred lad whose family owns the silk business. Sunil, who is battling his own demons, finds unexpected comfort in the company of his new-found friends. However, menacing currents within the Factory continue to simmer under the surface, and things rapidly come to a head. Little Hands of Silk is a novel of lossloss of empathy, of innocence, of life itself, but its also a tale of hope and friendship that blooms as an antidote to the surrounding evil.