Last year, when I read The Glass Palace, I had an inkling that I had found an author I loved so much, I have to go back and read their entire output. This happens very rarely to me. Some authors I have fallen for like this in the past are George R.R.Martin, Georgette Heyer, Agatha Christie, Victoria Holt, Jean Plaidy, and one or two others more. It’s got nothing to do with genre or literary quality. It’s just that magical click that I feel with the author, which means I am completely invested in what they write. And now, after reading The Hungry Tide, I can safely say that yes, I am going to read everything Amitav Ghosh has put out. I don’t need to read reviews or look at ratings. Just his name on the cover is going to be good enough for me. That’s how much I loved The Hungry Tide.
About The Hungry Tide
Off the easternmost corner of India, in the Bay of Bengal, lies the immense labyrinth of tiny islands known as the Sundarbans, where settlers live in fear of drowning tides and man-eating tigers. Piya Roy, a young American marine biologist of Indian descent, arrives in this lush, treacherous landscape searching for a rare species of river dolphin and enlists a local fisherman and a translator. Together the three of them launch into the elaborate backwaters, drawn unawares into the powerful political undercurrents of this isolated corner of the world that exact a personal toll as fierce as the tides.
~ Synopsis from Goodreads
Review of The Hungry Tide
This is a straightforward book, but at the heart of it lies a lot of complexity. Three people from different ways of life come together when Piya, the marine biologist, hires the urbane Kanai and the illiterate Fokir to accompany her to the Sunderbans to track river dolphins.
First up, I want to talk about the setting. The setting is the Sunderbans mangrove forest in the northeast of Bengal. This is a densely forested region with its own unique ecosystem. Amitav spends much time talking about this ecosystem in his book. This could prompt some reviewers to comment that the book is slow and spends more time discussing the landscape than the characters.
They would be right. But I’d argue that the landscape is a character in itself. And Ghosh has the perfect background to write a book based on the Sunderbans. He has written many deeply passionate and knowledgeable environmental articles (see one here). His passion and knowledge, and love of the Sunderbans show up throughout the book in some incredibly lyrical prose.
But here, in the tide country, transformation is the rule of life: rivers stray from week to week, and islands are made and unmade in days. In other places forests take centuries, even millennia, to regenerate; but mangroves can recolonize a denuded island in ten to fifteen years. Could it be the very rhythms of the earth were quickened here so that they unfolded at an accelerated pace?
Does this mean he cares for the environment more than the people there?
That doesn’t mean he is willing to overlook the problems of the people living there. Throughout the book, there is an underlying theme of nature vs. humans. Do we sacrifice the needs of the poverty-stricken people living there over the needs of the Bengal Tiger?
Is there some middle ground that can be reached? Unfortunately, there is no clear-cut answer in life, and neither is there one in this book.
He brings out all the difficult aspects of nature conservation through the scenarios in the book. Some poor villagers have nowhere to go when the government claims their land for forest conservation. There is the story of the declining numbers of tigers, crocodiles, and numerous other birds, fishes, and mammals.
He doesn’t do this in a preachy way, though. The conflicts between the three main characters highlight people’s differing views towards this problem.
Piya believes human intrusion that harms the environment must be disallowed. On the other hand, Kanai supports the theory of human beings getting preference over animals. But again, Piya argues that this kind of short shrift shown to lesser beings, whether animals or humans, will never end. Fakir is a survivalist and pragmatist – while he doesn’t intentionally destroy the environment, he kills crabs and turns a blind eye to a horrific killing of a tiger.
Ok enough about the environment, what about the story?
Sad to say, this is not a plot-driven book. The story is just a vehicle to talk about conservation vs. people issues. So, you will be disappointed if you are looking for a book to entertain yourself.
However, if you are in the market for a moody read that talks about a place you’ve probably never visited, you will get some wonderful insights into a very different way of life. I would normally have been bored stiff with a book that talks so much about the topography of a place, but he weaves the descriptions in very beautifully and naturally into the story that I wasn’t bored.
Not one bit. Besides, how can one be bored when the landscape being talked about is so hauntingly beautiful, like this photo?
So, I am saying you have got to be in the mood for this sort of book. It would be best if you were in the mood to read something slow, mull over the words, and reread beautiful portions. Be willing to spend time with the book without fretting about that mounting TBR list.
Take your time with it, and you”ll like it, I think.
Have you read this book? Did you love it as much as I did? I am now looking for the next Amitav Ghosh recommendation. If you have one, do share it in the comments.
Hm, it sounds like this book could be right up my alley. Thanks for the heads up!
Happy reading 🙂
this book is so intimidating! sounds interesting enough though
I was never into reading such books, but now I’m intrigued. Thanks for sharing xoxo
You’re welcome 🙂 . Glad the book intrigues you.
This book has been in my TBR for a while but the size usually puts me off. But I do hope to read it this year.
I think you”ll like it, especially since you love to travel.