I love it when books open up a whole new world of ideas, history and perspective! This book certainly opened up a whole new part of  the world-Burma and Malaya-that I simply did not know much about. Ghosh gives us a sweeping slice of history from 1885 when the monarchy of Burma is overthrown by the British until the late 1990’s when Aung San Suu Kyi, still under house arrest is, rallying her nation towards democracy. Ghosh, however adds another layer of texture and subtlety to this novel by having as his main character an immigrant from India, who comes to Burma and Malaya to find his fortune.

Following the lives of Rajkumar, a Hindu orphan who establishes a vast business empire and Dolly, a Burmese servant girl to the royal family who follows them into exile, we begin to see the complicated intermingling of culture and history in this geographic region and how that plays out against the backdrop of British colonial rule, the two great wars and the ever shifting tides of nationalism and revolution.

Ghosh’s characters are complicated and interesting. Rajkumar is always striving to be secure, to have enough, and to make something of himself. Dolly on the other hand has seen what happens when you have everything and lose it all. For her the world is a unstable place, where at any moment you can loose all that you hold dear. Their three children, are brought up amidst abundance and embrace the sense of freedom and equality that is emerging all over the world. But World War II and the occupation of Burma and Malaya by the Japanese make them face the harsh reality that no matter how rich, they are not considered equal to the white British colonists and are not evacuated and must face the occupation hated by both the Japanese and the native Burmans who resent them and the role the Indians played in supporting British colonial rule. This leads them and later their own children on a journey to discover who they are and their own place in the world.

Thought provoking, and compelling, I enjoyed this book both for its’ lush and evocative language and for the deeper questions about what makes us who we are and how do we belong in a country that is really not our own.

Brenda’s Rating: *****(5 out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Marian, Lauren, Sharon, Ken and Keith

Book Study Worthy? Yes!

Read in ebook format.