A solitary economist drives across Europe to try and redeem a tragedy; a boy fervently hopes his father will not miss his appearance in a school play; a girl sits alone in a deck chair in Goa, frightened by what she has done; a village boy leaves school for the bright lights of bangalore; a man tries to stop time.
 
Wry, tender, borderline surreal, Difficult Pleasures is a collection of stories about the need to escape and the longing to belong. Accomplished, ambitious and full of surprises, this is a masterful collection and it confirms anjum Hasan’s reputation as one of India’s most gifted young writers.