by Antonia Michaelis
Hardcover, 448 p.
Synopsis (Amazon)
How does a story of India begin? Does it begin with the three great rivers—the Ganges, the Yamuna, the unseen Sarasvati pouring her dreaming waters down from the snowy mountains to the hot, dry plain?
This bewitching story within a story, set in magical India, explores the power of narrative to change the course of lives. Raka, the doomed young bride of a violent merchant, weaves a tale of rescue so vivid, it might just come true. She tells a servant boy the story of Farhad, a thief and unlikely hero, who must retrieve a famous jewel in order to save a kidnapped princess from a demon king. Farhad’s unforgettable companion on the journey is a wisecracking white tiger with an unnatural fear of water. It is their unusual and funny friendship, and the final sacrifice that they must make, that is the heart of this grand, beautiful novel about summoning the hero within.
My Review
Oh god, the FEELS. I can't...DON'T ASK ME TO READ THIS AGAIN! DOOOOOOOOON'T! It just tore a giant hole in my heart. See this? This gaping nothingness? THIS IS WHAT A GOOD BOOK DOES TO YOUUUUU>......
I was actually pretty reluctant to pick this one up, as the last Indian book I read (Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck) was horribly dull and didn't really seem to focus on India so much as the two hot Indian guys that made up the rest of the love triangle. But once I started, I couldn't put this one down.
This book has so many things going for it. Through its plot, it brings in everything from hydrophobic religiously-hypochondriatic tigers, to tying in ten (ten!) different incarnations of Vishnu, with EVERYTHING making sense in the plotline. It's composed of two different storylines; one is of a new bride who is telling a servant boy a story, and the other is of a boy who is searching for a princess, presumably the story that the bride was telling. But these two plots somehow manage to intertwine and tangle, until a word-defying ending is arranged.
Not only is the plot sound, but the imagery and phrasing is swoon-worthy. Take this, a random example:
There was a waning crescent moon in the sky. Soon the moon would begin to wax again, eating its fill of light, and when it was round and full, Ravana's wedding would be held. ~p. 107
It's just, so perfect. And considering that this was translated into English from its native language of German, I think that the translator, Anthea Bell, should get her due as well. She's translated the likes of Cornealia Funke, and is just fantabulous.
And that ending... T-T
My Rating
Do I have to even say anything? Amazing plot, translation, imagery, phrasing, and FEELS. Insta-fave.
5 out of 5 stars
this seems like a cool book!i'm always really interested in books that feature characters who aren't caucasian, not that i'm saying i dont like books with white characters because most of my fave books feature them however i like when authors make an effort to show diversity.
ReplyDeleteYeah...This was definitely a great book to read! I mean, it started out really cutsey, the typical quest-y storyline, but it got more complex and more angstier as it went on...Kinda like this one manga series called Magic Knight Rayearth. I think I honestly cried at the end. Try it! The translator really did a great job.
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