Gun Island
Amitav Ghosh
Rated: 3.63 of 5 stars
3.63
· 16 ratings · 320 pages · Published: 10 Sep 2019
Bundook. Gun. A common word, but one that turns Deen Datta’s world upside down.
A dealer of rare books, Deen is used to a quiet life spent indoors, but as his once-solid beliefs begin to shift, he is forced to set out on an extraordinary journey; one that takes him from India to Los Angeles and Venice via a tangled route through the memories and experiences of those he meets along the way. There is Piya, a fellow Bengali-American who sets his journey in motion; Tipu, an entrepreneurial young man who opens Deen’s eyes to the realities of growing up in today’s world; Rafi, with his desperate attempt to help someone in need; and Cinta, an old friend who provides the missing link in the story they are all a part of. It is a journey that will upend everything he thought he knew about himself, about the Bengali legends of his childhood, and about the world around him.
Amitav Ghosh‘s Gun Island is a beautifully realized novel that effortlessly spans space and time. It is the story of a world on the brink, of increasing displacement and unstoppable transition. But it is also a story of hope, of a man whose faith in the world and the future is restored by two remarkable women.
Tagged as:
- sc-fi 4
- historical 3
- historical fiction 3
- literary fiction 3
- climate change/pollution 3
- magical realism 3
- folktales & legends 3
- action / adventure 2
- animals 2
- college/university 2
- lgbtq+ 1
- on the move 1
- great outdoors 1
- political 1
- drama 1
- Add topics
- format - reader age
- audiobook 2
- book 1
- adult fiction 1