That Amitav Ghosh is a master wordsmith no one should be left in any doubt after this novel. An extensively researched historical fiction spread over three generations and from the annexation of Burma by thr British to the WWII. As the king of Burma is exiled to Ratnagiri in India an orphan Rajkumar sees a young girl named Dolly among the royal servants. The whole novel is based on the lifetime quest of Rajkumar for Dolly.Breathtaking in its cast of caracters and places, it stretches from the dark dense teak forests of Burma to the palaces of Calcutta to the mango gardens of Ratnagiri.The poignant story of the long march of thousands of refugees through the malaria infested trails of upper Assam ahead of the Japanese and also the Indian National Army -and its heavy casualties,wretchedness of the refugees- is conjured up so realistically that you can almos see tthe long dragging lines. In other words a wordpicture .
According to the autor this novel has been a labour of love for him.Sweat and toil ,blood and tears.A trivia-while reaearching for the Burma part of the story the author was fired upon.So the blood part is also literal !!
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