'It wasn't uncommon in my childhood for roti to be off the menu, because the rolling pin was broken again.'

Ernest van der Kwast's childhood is peopled by an array of colourful characters: from his strait-laced Dutch father, to Bollywood star Uncle Sharma, and talented heptathlete Aunt Jasleen.

But it is his overbearing yet loving Indian mother who is at the centre of this big-hearted, hilarious family saga. Veena van der Kwast is a woman with an iron will, hilarious directness, and a talent for haggling. Armed with her trusty rolling pin, every man she meets is eventually beaten to submission—especially her husband and three sons.

Intriguing, surprising, and moving in equal measure, this novel inspired by a very unusual family will make you smile from beginning to end.