One of the most amazing books which I have read. Although the Glass Palace was equally good but this one is much better than The Glass Palace. After reading the book if you close your eyes you will imagine yourself in the Sundebans with water all around you and dolphins playing.
It shows how much research Amitav Ghosh has done before writing such a book and I appreciate the details he has put specially the location of the boat in the water, the sky when the storm gathered, the noise crabs make in the hold when put together and so on. It also has so much factual history in it specially how ledikeni was named, who coined the word cyclone and how did typhoon get it’s name. One feels as if one is living the world of Fokir, Kanai, mashima and Piya.
Apart from history, animal conservation and sketching of nature’s beauty and fury it also speaks so much about relationships, human emotions, drama, expectations in life, feelings and the storm it creates in one’s life like that of Nirmal when he felt for Kusum, the relationship of Kusum and Horen Naskor, the feelings which Kanai had for Piya and the ultimate saga was the ever speaking eyes of Fokir Mondol.
The situation where Fokir challenges Kanai without much say and the way Kanai reacts was so much mature expression of aggression and one upmanship.the way Fokir leaves Kanai in the island and the returns with Piya and Hoen was amazing.
It is an epic which talks of human lives, feelings, emotions, nature conservation and how there is history associated with everything.
Amazing book to read. Will keep it as a treasure