MistressBy Anita NairArcadia Books £11.99FT bookshop price: £9.59

A sweeping multi-generational tale of love and loss, Mistress is also a spirited story of modern India shackled by its past.

Shyam is a self-made man. Proudly armed with an American Express Gold Card and the latest cellphone, he represents everything his wife Radha has come to detest.

When travel writer Christopher arrives in Kerala to pen a profile of Radha's Uncle Koman, a distinguished kathakali dancer, he is drawn to the beautiful Radha and her rich family history.

The poetic urgency of the book is stifled by a meandering narrative. But Mistress is a sensitive evocation of Kerala. This is mystical India on a charm offensive, and, although the book occasionally reads like a travel brochure, it has magical moments.