In spite of being a sprawling, passionate tale of damaged souls in a damaged land, it is neither depressing nor hopeless. The central, intriguing love story develops unexpectedly. Roy's insight into the motivations of her characters and their acts of kindness, often in the face of unspeakable brutality, is masterful and humane. It possibly could have done with a bit more editing, but I was really pleased to have this long-awaited offering from the author of The God of Small Things (bwl 2 & 21).
(Margaret Teh - bwl 86 Autumn 2017 ) |
