The novel was awarded the 2018 Tata Literature Live First Book Award and the 2018 Crossword Book Award for fiction.
The entire society is structured as a "bondage" system. The regime uses segregation, walls, and severe surveillance to control where citizens live and who they interact with, creating a dystopian caste system based on "purity". leila in bondage
The 2019 Netflix series was directed by Deepa Mehta, Shanker Raman, and Pawan Kumar, starring Huma Qureshi as Shalini. The novel was awarded the 2018 Tata Literature
She eventually escapes, navigating a fractured city, and seeks help from underground rebels, eventually working as a "mole" inside an Aryavarta politician’s home to gain information. The 2019 Netflix series was directed by Deepa
Shalini begins by complying with the regime’s strict rules in the camp, hoping to earn release, but realizes the futility of this approach.