--- product_id: 57453352 title: "The Year of the Runaways" price: "B/.52" currency: PAB in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/57453352-the-year-of-the-runaways store_origin: PA region: Panama --- # The Year of the Runaways **Price:** B/.52 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Year of the Runaways - **How much does it cost?** B/.52 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.pa](https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/57453352-the-year-of-the-runaways) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description In the north of England, a group of young Indian immigrants struggle to begin something new—to support their families; to build their futures; to show their worth; to escape their pasts. An epic for our times, The Year of the Runaways is a stunning work of fiction that explores what it means and what it costs to make a new life, the capaciousness of the human spirit, and the power of humanity in the face of unspeakable suffering. Review: A Great Traditional Novel with Empathetic Characters and an Engrossing Plot - An engrossing story in the tradition of the great 19th-century novels, packed with characters and conflicts and written in a clear, deceptively simple way. This is one of those novels where the author is invisible: you don't hear his voice and there aren't a lot of quotable lines, but the impact is tremendous. It grows and builds rather than showing off. The plot concerns the present-day adventures and background stories of a handful of Indian immigrants scraping out a tenuous living in England. There is nothing sensationalistic about the misery of life on the edge; instead, you realize that this kind of existence gradually wears people down, so that months and years pass before they realize they will never get anywhere. This seemed to be such a constant theme of the novel that I found the ending in some ways surprising and unrealistic, but perhaps I need to reread. By the end of the book, I trusted Sahota's depiction so thoroughly that I was willing to accept almost anything as truth, but I do wonder about the final chapter. This is a novel for people who love traditional novels and yearn to read about sympathetic characters in believable situations. If this doesn't sound exciting, I'm not describing it well enough. The Year of the Runaways is my favorite book so far of 2016, and I highly recommend it for all ages and tastes. Review: Exposes some of the truly unpleaseant aspects of Indian society - This novel was challenging to read but not because of Sahota's writing skills. It takes the reader out of their comfort zone reading about the struggles of Indian immigrants to the UK, living on the border of legality if not illegal. It certainly asks you to rethink your views about "economic migrants". The novel explores the circumstances which motivate each of the "runaways" to try their luck in Britain, believing as they do that jobs and money will be easily available, enabling them to help their families. Their lives in India are centred on family but constrained by social expectations and gossip. Expectations that the younger generation(male) will have brilliant careers and support their parents and younger siblings; fear of not maintaining a successful facade seems to dominate the lives of the mothers. Women have few opportunities beyond the hope for a satisfactory marriage. All the families' hopes are pinned on the young men who are driven to terrible lengths to realize these hopes. The lives of the young men in England are increasingly driven by desperation- the relentless need to make enough money to support family and pay off debts. They are preyed on by their fellow countrymen who also live on the shady side of the law. They have no recourse to England's social services as most of them are terrified of being found and sent home. The novel exposes some of the truly unpleasant aspects of Indian society as well as the hollowness of the dreams of wealth and status in England. Although the young mens' stories end well, the ending seems tacked on and seems hardly plausible, given their dire and hopeless circumstances. However, the novel is hugely engaging to read and each character's story( there is one woman) reveals another aspect of the endlessly fascinating culture of India. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,863,083 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1,535 in Cultural Heritage Fiction #2,587 in Multigenerational Fiction (Books) #5,310 in Family Saga Fiction | | Customer Reviews | 4.1 out of 5 stars 4,738 Reviews | ## Images ![The Year of the Runaways - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/910zJCn6QnL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Great Traditional Novel with Empathetic Characters and an Engrossing Plot *by A***R on April 14, 2016* An engrossing story in the tradition of the great 19th-century novels, packed with characters and conflicts and written in a clear, deceptively simple way. This is one of those novels where the author is invisible: you don't hear his voice and there aren't a lot of quotable lines, but the impact is tremendous. It grows and builds rather than showing off. The plot concerns the present-day adventures and background stories of a handful of Indian immigrants scraping out a tenuous living in England. There is nothing sensationalistic about the misery of life on the edge; instead, you realize that this kind of existence gradually wears people down, so that months and years pass before they realize they will never get anywhere. This seemed to be such a constant theme of the novel that I found the ending in some ways surprising and unrealistic, but perhaps I need to reread. By the end of the book, I trusted Sahota's depiction so thoroughly that I was willing to accept almost anything as truth, but I do wonder about the final chapter. This is a novel for people who love traditional novels and yearn to read about sympathetic characters in believable situations. If this doesn't sound exciting, I'm not describing it well enough. The Year of the Runaways is my favorite book so far of 2016, and I highly recommend it for all ages and tastes. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Exposes some of the truly unpleaseant aspects of Indian society *by A***D on November 6, 2015* This novel was challenging to read but not because of Sahota's writing skills. It takes the reader out of their comfort zone reading about the struggles of Indian immigrants to the UK, living on the border of legality if not illegal. It certainly asks you to rethink your views about "economic migrants". The novel explores the circumstances which motivate each of the "runaways" to try their luck in Britain, believing as they do that jobs and money will be easily available, enabling them to help their families. Their lives in India are centred on family but constrained by social expectations and gossip. Expectations that the younger generation(male) will have brilliant careers and support their parents and younger siblings; fear of not maintaining a successful facade seems to dominate the lives of the mothers. Women have few opportunities beyond the hope for a satisfactory marriage. All the families' hopes are pinned on the young men who are driven to terrible lengths to realize these hopes. The lives of the young men in England are increasingly driven by desperation- the relentless need to make enough money to support family and pay off debts. They are preyed on by their fellow countrymen who also live on the shady side of the law. They have no recourse to England's social services as most of them are terrified of being found and sent home. The novel exposes some of the truly unpleasant aspects of Indian society as well as the hollowness of the dreams of wealth and status in England. Although the young mens' stories end well, the ending seems tacked on and seems hardly plausible, given their dire and hopeless circumstances. However, the novel is hugely engaging to read and each character's story( there is one woman) reveals another aspect of the endlessly fascinating culture of India. ### ⭐⭐⭐ Translation needed *by J***E on February 1, 2016* I got to page 77. I could not go on as there were far too many indian words and terms in it. A glossary would be helpful. I think it maywell be a good read as the characters are developing slowly but the presumption i understand all the terms and culture has put me off. Also, I am from the london area so the description of streets in the north and of towns in india are such that i feel i am lost in a map rather than putting a picture of the place in my head as once again it seems to presume i know of where these streets are. I read a lot if books set in asia and this is the first time i felt a better descrition of the places is needed. If i ever finish this i may well find i get used to this. But page 77 is already a long way in. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/57453352-the-year-of-the-runaways](https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/57453352-the-year-of-the-runaways) --- *Product available on Desertcart Panama* *Store origin: PA* *Last updated: 2026-08-04*