Director
N/A
Leading Actors/Actresses
N/A
Supporting Actors/Actresses
N/A
Genre
Inter-generational Family Saga
Language
English
Awards
Book Prize 2006, Vodafone Crossword Book Award 2006, National Book Critics Award for Fiction 2007,
Date of Release
N/A
Producer
N/A
Setting and Context
Kalimpong, India and New York City, USA in 1986
Narrator and Point of View
Third Person Omniscient
Tone and Mood
The novel contrasts a reflective, melancholy tone with moments of comedic satire and graphic violence.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The main protagonists are Sai and Biju
Major Conflict
Though the text follows multiple characters, the major conflict throughout the text is the struggle to find identity and belonging in a post-colonial world.
Climax
The story's climax comes when Judge Patel beats the cook while Biju struggles to reach Cho Oyu. The disparate storylines intersect at the end of the text when the cook and Biju reunite.
Foreshadowing
The boarding school children beheading chickens foreshadows the beheadings during the Indo-Nepal Treaty burning.
The monsoon season shuts down access to Kalimpong and separates Sai and Gyan. This foreshadows how the GNLF movement isolates Kalimpong from the rest of India and sours Gyan and Sai's relationship.
Understatement
Lola calls the first Gorkhaland protests "just noise," dismissing them as "no-gooders hanging around with nothing to do." This is an understatement, as the Gorkhaland movement destroys Lola's way of life and results in countless deaths.
On Nimi and Jemu's wedding night, she begs Jemu to "save" her, and Jemu's uncles encourage him to "not let her behave badly." These interactions are an understatement, as Jemu brutally abuses Nimi for "behaving badly" and indirectly causes her murder.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
N/A
Allusions
During his dinner with Judge Patel, Gyan recites "Where the mind is without fear" by Rabindranath Tagore
During his Cambridge examinations, Judge Patel recites "Lochinvar" by Sir Walter Scott
Sai and Judge Patel often read National Geographic, a magazine about science and exploration
Lola and Noni borrow British books from the library. Some authors include Anthony Trollope, Agatha Christie, and Emily Brontë
Nimi witnesses Jawaharlal Nehru, an anti-colonial Indian nationalist who became prime minister. The text also alludes to Indira Gandhi's assassination
Paradox
Judge Patel embraces British culture and supports colonial politics, though the British rejected and abused him during his time abroad.
Biju initially harbors prejudice against people of color and admiration for white people, though white colonialists were the only ones who damaged India
Gyan accuses Sai of being unprincipled and cowardly, yet quickly abandons his political ideals to embrace an easier life
Parallelism
Judge Patel's abuse of Nimi parallels Gyan's mistreatment of Sai. Both men take out their insecurities and grief on their romantic partners, who they believe represent the forces oppressing them
