You Envy the Coutinhos
MICHELLE D’COSTA
A darkly comic account of a migrant family’s life in the Gulf and the repercussions back home.
Joachim Coutinho’s life in Mangalore is in a rut: a ne’er-do-well father, a mother and sister to provide for, never enough money, and dreams of being an actor in starry Bollywood which are going nowhere. He sets his sights on Bahrain and a job he hopes will improve his situation. Life in the Gulf, however, proves to be harder still. He’s lonely, and lives with a constant sense of inadequacy. But hey, he’s a ‘success’ story now, and a brave face is what he must put on.
Back in Mangalore, Joachim’s nephew, Darrel Serrao, looks on with envy. He wants everything his uncle has: a loving family, a good job and a life of plenty in a foreign land. Surely, if Joachim can do it, so can he.
Building incrementally, conversation by conversation, observation upon observation, You Envy the Coutinhos tells a story of family and migration, ambition and disillusionment. This is a tragicomic tale, as gloriously dramatic as the culture it is steeped in, and astute in its understanding of human relationships.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MICHELLE D’COSTA enjoys editing, teaching creative writing and interviewing writers. Her poetry chapbook, Gulf, was published in 2021. Her work has appeared in many international literary journals. She has a master's in Creative Writing from the University of Auckland. This is her debut novel.
MORE INFORMATION
Imprint: Tranquebar
Published: 24 August 2026
ISBN: 978-9379857095
Format: Paperback
Pages: 200
Categories: Fiction