I grew up in England, worked in Kenya for two years, and landed in California in 1987. What did living in Kenya teach me? How to kill a chicken and cook it over a charcoal burner, bribe a customs official and survive a school riot. Great training for a fiction writer!LOSING TOUCH is my first novel and originated from a short story that won the 2005 Glimmer Train Short Short Fiction Award. The novel is for anyone who's loved Brick Lane by Monica Ali.Arjun brings his family from India to England only to be horrified when they adapt eagerly to British customs. His son, Murad, decides a chest expander is all he needs to be popular with the girls. His daughter, Tarani, wants to clump around in platform shoes and bell bottom pants. And his wife, Sunila, longs for a really nice tea service. She also longs for a divorce -- but that's a forbidden word only used by exciting people like Elizabeth Taylor.How will Haseena, Arjun's sister-in-law, manage to keep her new boyfriend a secret from the family? How will Murad defy his parents' expectations, and leave for a country he's only heard about in jokes? How will Arjun deal with finding out he's been diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy? And how will he keep providing for his family as his body gradually degenerates?Praise for the novel:Much of what kept me turning the pages of Losing Touch was Sandra Hunter's clever prose and deft touch in describing her various characters. As an immigrant myself, I can relate to the complex emotions one experiences on being an outsider in a country that questions whether it wants you at all. I can hardly wait for Sandra Hunter's next book.--Herta Feely, Editor Chrysalis EditorialI don't think you have to be English to appreciate this book. However, I am English and Sandra's prose catapulted me back home and brought the book to life. I recently took a fall that has confined me to a walker and I can tell you that Sandra is spot on in her description of how it feels to descend into physical limitations. I share much a Arjun's physical limitations - and his frustrations. The only difference is that I know mine are temporary. So, not only was it a good read but it was a good lesson for me too. It reminded me that I will heal from this (unlike Arjun) and rather than regret my situation I should be grateful that it is not forever. Her book could not have been more timely, or enjoyable.--Simone Patterson, reader.Losing Touch is one of the best books I've ever read about the emotional reality of the Indian immigrant experience in London in the 1960s and 1970s. Sandra Hunter writes like a painter. Brilliant, colorful, and never a wasted word.--Ruth Thompson, Editor Saddle Road Press.The moments are expertly woven together, showcasing Hunter as a master observer of life and an author to follow.--Natasha Vasillis, Bloggers RecommendThe tale is touching, with both laughter and tears interwoven throughout. Frankly, once I started reading, I didn't want to put the book down.--Sharon Cathcart, blogger Weebly