Hmmm... so this was interesting. I had never heard of this book before reading it. And I’m having trouble deciding what I think. After reading LOTR, there couldn’t have been anything more different. The focus here is on philosophies, politics, metaphors ... oh, so many metaphors ... and definitely not on action. The language was beautiful, which is probably the nature of it having been written in Bengali, and some of the concepts were ones that I won’t easily forget.
Set in India in the early twentieth century, this novel focuses on a love triangle that develops between a man, his wife, and his friend, against the backdrop of national political upheaval. Rabindranath Tagore is considered one of India’s premier novelists, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. This work was published in 1916, and my copy from the library is actually stamped June 20, 1919. It even smells nice and old!
The book is structured as a series of first-person accounts from the three main characters: Nikhil, a wealthy and well-educated maharajah; Bimala, his traditional wife; and Sandip, his childhood friend and leader of a revolutionary movement called Swadeshi that is like the whole anti-foreign goods/”buy American”/”freedom fries” kind of thing. The basic premise of the story is that Sandip comes to stay at Nikhil’s estate, and there is an instant connection between him and Bimala. As this forbidden relationship develops, everyone’s life is thrown into chaos both in the home and on a broader scale throughout India, and the true nature of the three characters is revealed. Essentially what we get is an allegorical representation of India’s struggle for independence boiled down into this one love triangle.
This is way more a story about philosophies than action. The characters are more metaphorical than dynamic. Nikhil is a man who sits quietly back and watches as his wife is caught up in the excitement and manipulation of Sandip and his politics. He struggles with the thought of losing his wife but also believes that ultimately giving her freedom is the only way to give her love. It’s the old idea of if you love her set her free. To Sandip’s perspective, this just proves that Nikhil is a huge coward who is afraid of fighting for what he wants -- both in his home and for his country. This contrasts, of course, with Sandip, who will go to any length -- no matter how immoral -- to get what he wants. He’s greedy and selfish and whips naive Bimala into a frenzy of nationalism and passion that she has no strength to resist, just like he does with all of his political followers. He made me think of an Indian televangelist. Bimala for the first time is put in a situation where she must think for herself and decide between her husband, her home, and her country. As much as I was partial to Nikhil and despised Sandip, I also felt kind of sorry for Bimala who is annoyingly naive and makes dumb choices but only because that was the role she was forced to play in that society.
This was not a particularly easy novel to read and was a little deep for reading at the beach, but I don’t regret the time I spent with it. Conceptually it was thought-provoking and will give me some things to think about for quite a while.
Up next ... # 97 - The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Is this sci-fi? Gross.
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