Book Review- The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh

I am really having a ball reading Indian authors of late. But I had contemplated a lot before buying this particular novel, particularly because I was afraid that it will be unreadable. But after reading the first few pages, all my fears vanished into thin air. The story seems simple when one reads the writing behind the book describing the story, but believe me, the story is very complex if one delves deep into the writing. The author’s description of nature is the most powerful that I have come across till date. One can actually feel the river flowing, the mangroves getting submerged in the high tide, the crocodile moving stealthily in the water, the tiger watching everyone from a distance. After reading the novel, I actually felt as if I have visited Sundarbans.

The story is set in one of the islands in the Sundarbans delta. A marine ecologist, Piyali Roy has come to research about Gangetic dolphins and Irrawaddy dolphins. She is a Bengali by descent, but has been brought up abroad, so she cant speak or understand Bengali, the language of the region. She meets a Bengali guy at the station, Kanai Dutt, who works as a professional linguist and interpreter in Delhi. He has come to meet his aunt, because of some letters that his deceased uncle has left him. Piyali has to research about dolphins, so she comes across a poor fisherman, Fokir, by accident, and they both strike a mutual rapport, without being able to exchange a single word, since Fokir cant understand English, and she cant understand Bengali. Their relationship has been portrayed beautifully by the author, showing language is not a barrier for communication. And the best part is that the author doesn’t rush into things, he develops the story slowly and tastefully, and at the same time, he doesn’t explicitly mention everything, there are a lot of emotions that are there for the reader to understand for himself. There is a sub-plot about Kanai’s deceased uncle, and even though it is not as interesting, yet it doesn’t lack depth. But the focal point of the story is the relationship between Piyali and Fokir, and it is one of the most understated and poignant relationships I have come across in a novel. Kanai is a polished city-dweller, and tries his hand at flirting with Piyali, but she coolly disarms him, and feels hurt when Kanai jeers at Fokir. Fokir’s wife is also there in the frame, and the undercurrents going on between them is truly a treat for those readers who love the intricacies of human relationships. The author also displays the stark contrast between a “doer” and a “dreamer” type of a person, vis-a-vis Kanai’s aunt and his uncle. The psychology of the characters is very well thought out, and the author has certainly achieved with the story what he probably set out to do.

The river is the behind-the-scenes actor in the story. The river’s presence can be felt throughout the entire book, and the reader can feel that the river is the master pulling the strings, that is controlling the life in the tide country. All the actions of the people involve the river in some way or the other. The author is at his very literary best when he describes the river, and his description is truly remarkable. The other hidden actor is the tiger, whose threat looms large over everyone’s minds, and it is forbidden to take the tiger’s name in the tide country, since it is believed that to take its name is to call it. And it is believed that those who see a tiger up close, do not live to tell the tale. A scene involving Kanai and the tiger sends a chill through the spine.

A lot of research has gone into the book, and the facts have been presented in an interesting way. The author seems to judge the pulse of the reader perfectly, because he doesn’t drag any part for too long, and the subplots end just before they start to get boring. The book ends with a tropical storm, and the ending is as good as the rest of the book.

Final say: A truly remarkable book, worth reading many times over. If you are a lover of nature, then it makes the book even more enjoyable. My only grouse was that the tiger was hardly present in the story (conspicuous by its absence) and a story set in the Sundarbans should do more justice to the animal for which has become world-famous, or as you may say, infamous.

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Tags: Amitav Ghosh, Book Review, Indian Authors, Modern Fiction, Sundarbans, The Hungry Tide

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