well into middle age, expects to be given everything in life without having to work for it, and most of all he greatly resents his stepmother Rose. He still feels that she is an unwelcome presence in the house, supplanting his mother and causing nothing but trouble with her uninhibited tongue. Literary significance and reception "…a leading example of India’s emergent writers, blending the Hindu with the Christian outlook, possessed equally of a cool analytical brain and broadly human sympathies." – The Times At its first release in 1985, Rich Like Us received wide critical acclaim. The latter publication dates in 1999 and 2003 followed suit, with high praise and recognition. Rich Like Us continues to be the best known novel of Nayantara Sahgal. Allusions to history, geography and current science This novel is set in one of India’s most unruly chapter of history, tracing back from the Partition the Indian independence and The Emergency. The Emergency, which plays a central role in this novel, marks the 21-month period between June 1975 and March 1977 in India. During this time, President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed declared a state of emergency in India. This announcement gave Ahmed the right to suspend the elections and civil liberties at his will, hence bringing India’s people into a state of extreme discontent. Awards and nominations Sinclair Prize for Best Novel, 1985 (U.K.) Sahitya Akademi Award for Best Novel, 1986 (India) Publication history This novel was first published in London in 1985 by the Heinemann Publishing Company. In 1986, the first United States edition was released, being published by Norton & Co. of New York City. Academic analysis Mann, Harveen Sachdeva. "Elliptic Feminism and Nationalism in Nayantara Sahgal's Rich Like Us." International Fiction Review (1993). Hassan, Nigeenah; Sharma, Mukesh. "India Under Emergency: Rich Like us Nayantara Sahgal" International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology (2017) References External links Literary Encyclopedia: http://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=12222 Harper Collins Publishers: http://www.harpercollins.co.in/BookDetail.asp?Book_Code=1372 The South Asian Literary Research: https://www.loc.gov/acq/ovop/delhi/salrp/nayantarasahgal.html SAWNET information site: https://web.archive.org/web/20160406093305/http://www.sawnet.org/books/authors.php?Sahgal+Nayantara 1985 Indian novels Sahitya Akademi Award-winning works Novels set in Delhi Indian political novels Indian historical novels Literature by women