{"product_id":"9781543701500","title":"Placard Holder in the Pass","description":"\u003cp\u003eKeshav, an itinerant worker, finds himself stranded in a small town in a mountain pass, delivered there accidentally by a truck driver who was a regular there. Locals bring him to the town eatery, where he encounters Aziz, the friendly proprietor of the place. There, he finds a home and a strange calling: standing by the highway and holding a placard advertising the presence of the eatery. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKeshav befriends Kili, an inhabitant of the surrounding hills—before reappearing with his stunning bride, Chameli. He also meets a wide variety of people—White, a doctor with an ornithological slant of mind who traverses the pass regularly; his faithful driver, Babu; and Keith, a decaying long-term resident of the pass who tried unsuccessfully to live with Tina, his sister in the UK. The moodiness of the unique weather and topography of the pass remains a constant backdrop as Chameli’s disillusionment with Keshav grows in the presence of other ardent admirers. Keith finds himself battling depression and alcoholism, despite White’s attempts to help him; Kili too suddenly disappears. Gradually the lives of those around Keshav—those who chose the pass as their home, perhaps not as a matter of choice but more due to compulsion—begin to disintegrate.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this novel, a migrant worker builds a new life for himself in a small mountain town, only to see it fall apart amidst love, betrayal, and sorrow.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Partridge India","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47055909585136,"sku":"9781543701500","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781543701500_p0.jpg?v=1763750692","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781543701500","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}