A best-selling journalist’s illuminating tour through the hidden legacies and modern realities of British empire that exposes how much of the present-day Unit

'Engrossing and powerful . . . rich and thought-provoking' Fara Dabhoiwala, Guardian 'Path-breaking . . . a major rewriting of history' Mihir Bose, Irish Times

Arjan Banga is forced to leave London to help his lonely mother run Bains Stores, their family’s provincial corner shop. But, it’s also a return to all that

“A beautiful book… an instant classic of the genre.” —Dwight Garner, New York Times • A New York Times Critics’ Top Book of 2021 • A New York Time