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Book Review
Feb. 10th, 2010 10:11 pmSea of Poppies
by Amitav Ghosh
This novel was really good - the kind of book that made me eager for my morning and evening commutes just so I could keep reading it. It takes place in India in 1838 and centers around the Ibis, a schooner which has arrived in Calcutta to be refitted for the transport of indentured servants to Mauritius. Ghosh follows a large cast of characters among the crew preparing for the journey and the indentured servant passengers as they converge upon the ship. He beautifully interweaves their stories into a wonderful whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. My favorite among the characters were Paulette, an unconventional and spirited orphaned Frenchwoman; Zachary Reid, the American second mate; Deeti, a widow escaping abusive and oppressive family ties; and Neel Rattan Halder, a former raja quasi-falsely convicted of forgery.
Sea of Poppies is also an exploration of race, class, colonialism, and imperialism, but done on a subtle level through character and plot. At no time does it feel as if Ghosh goes off on a tangent. Everything he has to say he says through the plot, characters, and setting. He gives the reader a lot to mull over without ever making the reader think. This makes the reading experience even richer.
The only slight caution is that this book is the first in a trilogy, so the ending leaves a lot of loose ends. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book.
by Amitav Ghosh
This novel was really good - the kind of book that made me eager for my morning and evening commutes just so I could keep reading it. It takes place in India in 1838 and centers around the Ibis, a schooner which has arrived in Calcutta to be refitted for the transport of indentured servants to Mauritius. Ghosh follows a large cast of characters among the crew preparing for the journey and the indentured servant passengers as they converge upon the ship. He beautifully interweaves their stories into a wonderful whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. My favorite among the characters were Paulette, an unconventional and spirited orphaned Frenchwoman; Zachary Reid, the American second mate; Deeti, a widow escaping abusive and oppressive family ties; and Neel Rattan Halder, a former raja quasi-falsely convicted of forgery.
Sea of Poppies is also an exploration of race, class, colonialism, and imperialism, but done on a subtle level through character and plot. At no time does it feel as if Ghosh goes off on a tangent. Everything he has to say he says through the plot, characters, and setting. He gives the reader a lot to mull over without ever making the reader think. This makes the reading experience even richer.
The only slight caution is that this book is the first in a trilogy, so the ending leaves a lot of loose ends. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book.
