Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Sweeping between India and England, from childhood and the present day.Sunjeev Sahota's unforgettable novel about illegal immigrants is a story of dignity in the face of adversity.For fans of Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance. 'The Grapes of Wrath for the 21st century' – Washington PostThe Year of the Runaways tells of the bold dreams and daily struggles of an unlikely family thrown together by circumstance. Thirteen young men live in a house in Sheffield, each in flight from India and in desperate search of a new life.Tarlochan, a former rickshaw driver, will say nothing about his past in Bihar.Avtar has a secret that binds him to protect the chaotic Randeep.Randeep, in turn, has a visa-wife in a flat on the other side of town: a clever, devout woman whose cupboards are full of her husband's clothes, in case the immigration men surprise her with a call. Now part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the very best of modern literature. 'A writer who knows how to make you stay up late at night to learn what happens next . . . a brilliant and beautiful novel' – author of Home Fire, Kamila Shamsie, Guardian