Set against the brilliantly drawn backdrop of India at the turn of the millennium, The Alchemy of Desire tells the story of a young couple, penniless but gloriously in love. Obsessed with each other, they move from a small town to the big city, where the man, who dreams of being a writer, works feverishly on a novel, stopping only to feed his ceaseless desire for his beautiful wife.

A chance occurrence allows the lovers to abandon the city for a mist-shrouded spur of the lower Himalayas and move into a sprawling old house, which they hope will embody their love. At first they pursue their deep physical need with a reckless intensity. But during renovations of the house a set of diaries written by the original inhabitant - a glamorous American adventuress - is unearthed, and the narrator finds himself irresistibly drawn away from his wife and thrust into another world and time, into the hole of history. As his life and love fall apart, he slowly begins to uncover the dark secrets at the heart of her story, until the shocking truth is laid bare and all certainties are overturned.

Quick-paced and inventive, brimming with ideas and memorable characters, The Alchemy of Desire celebrates the chaotic spirit of a country during a time of great change. It also offers, in searing, lucid prose, a deeply sensual and moving account of the chemistry between sex, ambition and love. This is a major novel by one of the most significant new voices of his generation.

ABOUT TARUN TEJPAL

Tarun Tejpal is the founder and editor-in-chief of Tehelka - which started in 2000 as a news and ideas magazine on the web. Tehelka garnered a worldwide acclaim for its journalism and is seen as one of the seminal websites of world media.

After three years of savage victimization by the Indian establishment for its exposes on corruption, Tehelka relaunched ( January 2004) as a national weekly paper - uniquely funded by advance subscriptions of its supporters. Witnessing rapid growth, the paper had within a year become a salient voice in India noted for its independence and hard-hitting investigative journalism.

He has been the target of a murder plot, alleged by the Indian police to be the action of Pakistani Intelligence in a effort to destabilize the Indian government.

Businessweek declared him among 50 leaders at the forefront of change in Asia. Asiaweek listed him as one of Asia's most powerful communicators.

Co-founder of the publishing house IndiaInk which first published Arunhati's Roy's The God of Small Things, which went on to win the Booker Prize.

He has written for several international publications including The Paris Review, The Guardian, The Financial Times and Prospect.

In a 20-year career as a journalist, he has been an editor with India Today and The Indian Express groups and outlook, India's premier news magazine.