Reviewing "The City And The Sea," noted Malayalam writer K R Meera wrote: "It is the story of children within us, whose only defence against the unexplained horrors of the dark is darkness itself." Actor and activist Shabana Azmi said reading the book is "to dive into the darkness and spot a piercing ray of light." That as India stumbles its way into the 21st century, its "absolute priority has to be the safety of girls in public and private places and this will need courage and compassion." Taking off from a horrific rape in New Delhi, the novel sets out in search of a story that could have been, listening to voices that "can, perhaps, find utterance only in fiction."