Suspense

Very enjoyable. Set in the tide country of the delta on the border between India and Bangladesh, south and east of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). A couple of storylines alternate chapters, one of a modern day cetologist investigating river dolphins in the delta, the other life in the tide country, both present day and an the previous decades. The story of the place itself, with immense rivers transforming into miles of mud and then back again with the changing of the tides is quite magical, and melded with local folklore, magical tigers, idealism and love. As a scientist, I found the tale of the cetologist’s awareness of the implications of her sightings expanding into a new understanding unusually well described for a novel, and in the authors notes Ghosh describes how field work with a real cetologist on the Mekong played a role in his writing. So a little history, an amazing setting, and a fine tale add up to a fine read. ( )

Piya, an American of Bengali descent, is a young marine biologist. She travels to the Sundarbans, a mangrove-forested archipelago off the southeastern coast of India, in search of an endangered dolphin species. On the way, she meets Kanai, a translator and businessman from New Delhi. He is on his way to his aunt’s house to collect a journal bequeathed to him by his uncle.

Piya embarks on her study of dolphins but encounters difficulties with her guides. She meets Fokir, an uneducated local fisherman, skilled at reading the tides, with whom she feels a connection. She hires him to help her map the dolphins’ migrations among the islands, where Bengal tigers, crocodiles, snakes, and other wildlife reside. These islands are flooded by the tide twice daily. In the meantime, Kanai reads his uncle’s journal. He reunites with Piya in the role of translator.

Chapters from the journal are inserted periodically into the narrative. From the journal, we learn the story of the violent confrontations in Morichjhampi – a real incident that occurred in 1979 involving government forces and Bengali refugees. The journal also includes the story of Bon Bibi, the protectress of the island people.

This novel is infused with variety – cetology, the ecosystem in the Sundarbans, politics of the region, powerful storms, and local folklore. It is also a moving interpersonal story of people from extremely different backgrounds. It is beautifully written. It emphasizes the interdependence of humans and nature and highlights difficult questions that arise when they come into conflict. It is a story about adventure, identity, history, environment, and attraction set in a unique region. I found it fascinating.

“Powerful as it already was, the gale had been picking up strength all along. At a certain point its noise had reached such a volume that its very quality had undergone a change. It sounded no longer like the wind but like some other element—the usual blowing, sighing and rustling had turned into a deep, earsplitting rumble, as if the earth itself had begun to move. The air was now filled with what seemed to be a fog of flying debris—leaves, twigs, branches, dust and water. This dense concentration of flying objects further reduced the visibility in what was already a gathering darkness.”
( )

Kanai viaja a las islas Sundarbans a petición de su tía, quien ha encontrado un diario que su difunto esposo le dejó a él. Su contenido revela un misterio que debe resolver y que le llevará a entrelazar su destino conel de Piya y el de Fokir, un personaje tan sorprendente como el propio paisaje que los rodea.

This struck me as a very sad book where the white imperialists make it out alive and the nationals don't as a direct or indirect result. :( ( )