“One of the best books I’ve ever read by an Indian author! This is Qurratulain Hyder’s “transcreated” English version of her original Urdu magnum opus “Aag Ka Dariya”.
Sweeping through over two thousand years of Indian history - from the Vedic times to post-independence - Hyder’s novel blurs the lines of religious differences while simultaneously glorifying the millennia of Hindustan’s rich heritage. Four characters of Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim and Christian faith, reappear throughout the novel in various reincarnations but interestingly enough, with the same names. This gives the story a sense of seamless transition, as the turbulent forces of history churn these four characters into a vortex of politics and power. Despite the breadth of history covered in the novel, Hyder does not shy away from the details. I found the generous descriptions of daily life and customs in early Hindustan very entertaining and colorful. Lucknow takes center stage during the British Raj, Independence and Partition eras. Here, I felt, the story lingered and lost some momentum. Maybe an attempt by the author to wrap up her epic by highlighting what possibly could be her personal experience as she survived this tumultuous phase of Indian history?
In all, an extremely ambitious novel that has been rightly compared to GGM’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude” and delivers on the mark! This is a book that focuses on the single Indian identity and marginalizes everything that is discordant with it . A must read for every Indian or person interested in Indology! Be warned that if you are not familiar with Indian history, you might find this a very challenging read. Even for someone well versed in Indian history, this book takes some effort, but is well worth it!
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bookchica wrote this review Saturday, October 24 2009.
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