The Days Toppled Over

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'Tender, arresting and uplifting.' SHANKARI CHANDRAN The most unexpected friendships really can transform your life. Malli is unable to speak outside her own home. The highlight of her life is a weekly phone call with her younger brother, Surya, who is studying in Australia. When Surya misses their call for the first time, Malli's quiet life is thrown into disarray. Seeking answers online, Malli is grateful when a user on a missing persons forum, Nayan, offers his assistance. As days pass without news, Malli decides she must travel to Australia to find out what has happened to Surya. The unconventional and outspoken Nayan accompanies her. In Sydney, student life is more precarious than Surya had imagined. At the restaurant where he lives and works, Surya endures squalid living conditions and abysmal pay, in pursuit of the elusive work visa that will allow him to stay in the country. But then a racist customer sets off a chain of events that will see Surya commit a reckless act of love, risking everything for which he has worked so hard. Set between Bangalore and Sydney, The Days Toppled Over is a powerful exploration of mental health, family and the lives of international students in Australia. With a rich sense of place, a memorable cast of characters, and a good dose of humour, it illuminates how we all need friends and contact with other humans - and how these simple things can result in transformation.

Author Bio

Vidya Madabushi is an Indian writer living in Sydney. She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Sydney, and her first novel, Bystanders, was published in India in 2015. Bystanders was shortlisted for the Tibor Jones South Asia Prize, and a previous version was longlisted for the Australian Vogel Award. In 2018, Vidya received the Writing NSW Grant for Fiction for the creation of this novel. The Days Toppled Over is her Australian debut.