Your basket is empty.
-
- Books
Bundook. Gun. A common word, but one which 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 which will upend everything he thought he knew about himself, about the Bengali legends of his childhood and about the world around him.
Gun Island is a beautifully realised novel which 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.
Publisher: John Murray Press
ISBN: 9781473686687
Number of pages: 320
Weight: 220 g
Dimensions: 196 x 126 x 24 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
With sweeping exuberant style and extraordinary linguistic facility Ghosh takes us into a world where desperate refugees trickle through borders like water from melting ice, but where massing animals find no escapes. Old legends and ancient myths take on new meaning. This important novel is an account of our current world, the one few writers have had the courage to face - Annie Proulx
A rich and rewarding novel that reaffirms the transformative power of topographical and human connection, and registers the rhythms of the quiet and the unquiet life - The Spectator
Amitav Ghosh's Gun Island is an extraordinary reading experience from one of our greatest living storytellers. Ghosh masterfully collocates disparate worlds to create a story of family, self, history, and destiny - Neel Mukherjee
A book of reckless and persuasive scope, a huge, rambunctious reckoning with our environmental declension - Sunday Times
In its blend of science, history, myth and contemporary relevance, Gun Island offers a rich mix of ideas - i
It demonstrates how the particular genius of the novel can be deployed to examine the subject of climate change in ways beyond the scope of journalism, history or documentary. Gun Island shows us how the psychological compulsions for order and security that drive our unwillingness to confront climate change are about to be first unsettled and then destroyed - Literary Review
A compelling book - a sinuous and often gripping piece of storytelling, satisfyingly shaped and beautifully written - Prospect
You may also be interested in...
“A story that spans space and time....”
Amitav Ghosh creates a spellbinding story that begins in Sundarbans in India and finishes in Venice. The story spans history and the present time, exposing the effects of climate change on the environment and how it... More
“A novel with deep roots”
Gun Island is part adventure story, part mythology, part social analysis and partly a personal witness to environmental crisis. In it we take a look at a number of weighty subjects; the power of story and mythology... More
“Novel set in India and Venice - a magical realism kind of adventure”
You can always guarantee a good solid story when you pick up a book by Amitav Ghosh and this is no exception. It’s a magical tale, one made up from legends, fantasy and full of magical realism too. Locations switch... More
Please sign in to write a review
Sign In / Register
Sign In
Download the Waterstones App
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?