KUNAL BASU

1855: on a deserted island off the coast of Africa, the most audacious experiment ever envisaged is about to begin. To settle an argument that has raged inconclusively for decades, two scientists dream up an elaborate experiment. A pair of infants, one black, one white, are to be raised on a barren island, exposed to the dangers all around them, tended only by a young nurse whose muteness renders her incapable of influencing them in any way, for good or for bad.

They will grow up without speech, without civilization, without punishment or play. In this primitive environment, the children will develop as their primitive natures dictate. The question is: what will be left when the twelve years of the experiment are over? Which child will be master, and which the slave? For surely one will triumph over the other. Or will they all, children and scientists alike, reap the fruits of breaking the taboo, as they discover love and loneliness on the wild but beautiful island of Arlinda.

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• “Taut, elegant and intelligent one of the most interesting novels so far to chart the history of European racism.”
  The Guardian
• “Basu's tale is an entertaining hybrid, part intellectual thriller, part boy's own adventure, part romance at the heart of darkness.”
  The Independent
• “Basu has found a fresh angle. The blend of personal discovery and political revolt is handled with authority.”
  The Independent on Sunday
• “... scientists. The African setting, by turns achingly beautiful and tinged with a sense of menace, is very well done; while the two small children, incapable of human speech, but blessed with low animal cunning, come poignantly alive. They are an eloquent embodiment of humanity stripped to its bare essentials.”
  The Telegraph
• “The novel aims not simply to delight, but to tell untold tales with a large dose of imagination.”
  Observer
• “An intriguing novel.”
  Scotland on Sunday
• “Racists is an idea-novel that uses the historical narrative to send the reader on a shuddering yet sympathetic journey into that dark continent of human dogmas.”
  Hindustan Times
• “Basu's immensely moving work, just like his earlier ones, takes you on a journey that is entertaining and fulfilling.”
  The Sunday Tribune

• Science Friction
  South China Morning Post
• "I've done a Kipling on the West"
  Tehelka
• Author experiments with issues of race
  The Oxford Times
• Searching blindly for the truth in black and white
  The Times Higher Education Supplement
• Race: No black and white answers
  The Sunday Herald

• Experiments in brutality
  The Guardian
• Head Hunters
  Hindustan Times
• Racists
  Sydney Morning Herald
• রেসিস্টস: এক নতুন অভিজ্ঞতা
  India Today (Bangla edition)