amitabha bagchi::This might be considered the third generation, after the early postindependence authors like m g vassanji, ved mehta, and r k narayan, and then the westsavvy luminaries like salman rushdie, amitav ghosh, et al amitabha bagchi

amitabha bagchi::This might be considered the third generation, after the early postindependence authors like m g vassanji, ved mehta, and r k narayan, and then the westsavvy luminaries like salman rushdie, amitav ghosh, et al.
The new lot is not as promising as yet, and there are very few that have made a mark for themselves.
While many may turn out to be onehit wonders, their efforts benefit the industry in general and make it more appealing for those that follow.
Is a standout book from the current crop for various reasons.
Structurally, it dispenses with the linear plot, adopting instead an array of interlocking circles, moving the action in both space and time from 1980s new delhi to 21st century baltimore and back again.
Thematically, it is a comingofage story, a strivingforprogress postcolonial story, a thereandbackagain voyage of selfdiscovery, and also a tale of unrequited love, of effort without results.
The narrator has no discernible hamartia, or perhaps just that he is detached from his surroundings, his friends, and his actions.
There are characters who repay kindness with ingratitude, and there are those who find it hard to let go, even when letting go is the only thing that makes sense.
As the tale progresses, we discover that he will become a research scholar in the united states, make and lose friends, and fathom to some degree the instability inherent in his weltanschauung.
This makes him everyman in some ways, representing a generation, one that found their homeland and society lacking in many respects.
His perspective on life is shaped by two overlapping realms that of his society where he has grown up, and of the indian institute of technology, delhi, which exposes him to people from other social backgrounds.
The supporting characters are a rich cast of spiteful dysfunctional young people.
Strangely, most are spiteful through striving and either failing or recognizing their limitations.
Like in the fairy tale genre, all quests in the novel cause great suffering, and are futile.