A Hiding to Nothing – Chhimi Tenduf-La’s razor-sharp domestic thriller where secrets cut deeper than crime

Some kidnappings happen in public view; others vanish into silence. Chhimi Tenduf-La’s latest novel, A Hiding to Nothing, thrives in that silence, where the questions feel louder than any ransom call. Devin Pinto, the young son of Neja and Ramesh, disappears during a day trip out of Colombo. No demands. No witnesses. No police — because in the polished, claustrophobic circles of Sri Lanka’s high society, scandal can be more ruinous than crime.

Tenduf-La takes this premise and coils it tightly with psychological tension. The Pintos must navigate discreet backchannels, old grudges and unspoken animosities, all while keeping the news from tearing through the fragile web of appearances. Neja is forced into uneasy proximity with her domineering mother-in-law, while Ramesh’s past — including a Ponzi scheme that left dangerous enemies in its wake — threatens to erupt. Every clue points in a different direction: the alluring swimming coach who’s too familiar with Neja, the mysterious doctor who made their parenthood possible, the British High Commission staffer with questions that feel like warnings. And then there’s the shadowy Satya Basu, a name so loaded with history it could explode the Pintos’ carefully guarded façade.

What makes the book so compulsively readable is Tenduf-La’s blend of deft plotting and sly social observation. The narrative hops from Colombo’s manicured gardens to Durham’s cobblestone streets, pulling the reader into settings that feel both lush and dangerous. The tension never lets up, yet there’s a surprising wit running through the prose — a knowing glance at privilege, hypocrisy, and the absurd theatre of the elite.

It’s this combination — pace, atmosphere, and a refusal to flatten characters into stereotypes — that makes A Hiding to Nothing feel like more than a thriller. It’s a dissection of how power shields and poisons, of how family loyalty can twist itself into something almost unrecognisable.

Tenduf-La, long known for his humour-laced social commentary, here proves equally adept at psychological suspense. The book keeps its grip till the final pages, where the truth feels both inevitable and unsettling. It’s wickedly clever, effortlessly paced, and quietly cutting — a reminder that sometimes, the most dangerous secrets aren’t the ones strangers hold, but the ones you share a roof with.

Book Details

Title: A Hiding to Nothing

Author: Chhimi Tenduf-La

Publisher: Hachette India

Pages: 300+