The Hungry Tide

I think they say that character is plot and plot is character. This book proves that theory. The meticulous detail lavished on developing each character including Piyali Roy, Kanai Dutt, Fokir and countless others is what gives this book it's raison d'etre. The descriptions of the Sundarbans are exquisitely embroidered into a vast tapestry of emotions, characters, places, animals, nature, and philosophy. Definitely worth reading.

I am one of those readers who has trouble finishing a novel if it doesn't grip me from the start - and keep me gripped till the end. This is one of those books that I could not stop reading. It is a simple story - told masterfully. The flowing style involves two simultaneous narratives (what happens in the lives of the two main characters) - with each narrative being suspenseful in itself. You'll just have to read it to judge for yourself. The author also seems to have done his research on the gangetic dolphin, the Sunderbans and other pieces that the story revolves around.

If Shadow Lines enthralled you, Amitav Ghosh's latest masterpiece, the Hungry Tide, will sweep you off your feet, and into the precarious waters of the Sundarbans.In the typical Ghosh style, the narrative moves fluidly between past and present. You will be transported into the mindset of the superstitious yet brave folk, who have adapted themselves to the constant ebb and flow of the tide and are living in continuous fear of the Bengal tigers. The tide begins to turn with the advent of two seekers from the outside world - Piyali Roy, an Indian-American marine biologist in search of the Irrawaddy dolphins and Kanai Dutt, an urbane translator from New Delhi who's there to retrieve his deceased uncle Nirmal's journal. Their lives become intertwined particularly with Fokir, an illiterate but proud fisherman, who has the "rivers in his heart." As the narrative progresses, they are forced to respect nature in order to survive, and to communicate with people who differ not only in language but also in equations of existence. It is a story of love, revolution, brutal history and the place of man within the treacheries of nature. It seems to underscore Nirmal's observation that "nothing escapes the maw of the tides."

I had never heard of the Sundarbens prior to reading this book. I will never forget them after reading it. I could not put this book down, and it is on my list of best books for the past year. The characters come from different places, yet come together through fate and circumstances. Ghosh gives us love stories interwoven throughout, and actually until the end we are not sure how these will play out. He writes great adventure and nature scenes, and introduces natural elements that most will not be familiar with. He will make you think about the environment and its inhabitants in several different ways (spoiler-tigers and residents, dolphins and residents-compare and contrast). It will make you think of your own hospitality. It has spirituality and myth interwoven throughout as well as their expression in poetry. Yet somehow all these different elements come together in the geographic setting of the story. The storm scenes will remain etched on my mind for years to come (compare it to the storm in The Perfect Storm). This book will make you look at what is most important posession wise in times of crisis and during regular times. His characters are well developed and defined, and I could picture each and everyone in my mind's eye. They are unforgettable. I cannot recommend this book enough, but at the same time I don't want to provide any spoilers. Brilliant writing. Confirms my own belief that India will be my next big trip. Take a chance on a book that is very different and just read it, you will be hungry for more!

Amitav Ghosh's new book, "The Hungry Tide," is an interesting book set in the swampy regions of Sunderbans,near the India-Bangaldesh border. The book makes for an interesting reading, and in the process you also learn about the rich marine life in this part of the world, where once river dolphins thrived in large numbers. But, over the years these marine mammals have rapidy dwindled, and become a rare species. Ghosh has a keen eye for details, and when this is combined with his love for history and research, the final product can make for an absorbing read. Ghosh weaves a fascinating story invloving the three primary characters in the book: Piyali Roy, Kanai Dutt and Fokir. Piyali is a cetalogist, who is on a quest to study the habits of the rare river dolphins in the Sunderbans region. Of Indian hertiage, Piyali grew up in the US, and as part of her graduate studies has made an ardous trip to this remote region of India. Fokir is the illiterate fisherman who knows this part of the river like the back of his hands, and assits Piyali in her quest to discover and study the animals. He knows exactly where you can find these rare river dolphins. Kanai Dutt, is a Delhi-based entrepreneur, who happens to meet Piyali on her train journey to the Sunderbans. They cross paths when they meet once again at Kanai's aunt's place. Kanai is visiting his aunt to retrieve a package that his uncle had left for him in his will. During the course of the story you discover how each of one these primary character's story is intertwined. Although Ghosh has written 5 books, I must confess that I did not enjoy reading all of his books, and have had to abandon a couple of them half-way through. I enjoyed reading "In an antique land," and now this new book.