Book excerpt: ***As dramatised on BBC Radio Four*** SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE THE SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A RICHARD AND JUDY PICK 'Written with a wisdom and skill that few authors attain in a lifetime' SUNDAY TIMES Still in her teenage years, Nazneen finds herself in an arranged marriage with a disappointed older man. Away from her Bangladeshi village, home is now a cramped flat in a high-rise block in London's East End. Nazneen knows not a word of English, and is forced to depend on her husband. Confined in her tiny flat, Nazneen sews furiously for a living, shut away with her buttons and linings - until the radical Karim steps unexpectedly into her life. On a background of racial conflict and tension, they embark on a love affair that forces Nazneen finally to take control of her fate. A GRANTA BEST OF BRITISH YOUNG NOVELIST SHORTLISTED FOR THE GUARDIAN FIRST BOOK AWARD 'A brilliant evocation of sensuality' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'A novel that will last' GUARDIAN 'Highly evolved and accomplished' OBSERVER Reader's love for BRICK LANE: 'Memorable and gripping' ***** 'The kind of book that changes your perception of the world' ***** 'This has become a classic and i can see why'***** 'Funny, sharp and very touching' *****