Red Earth and Pouring Rain
by Vikram Chandra
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Book Summary Information
Author: Vikram ChandraEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-08
ISBN: 0140246126
Number of pages: 686
Publisher: Penguin Books
Book Reviews of Red Earth and Pouring Rain
Book Review: Story of Stories
Summary: 4 Stars
In this debut, Chandra seems to have bared all from his bag of tricks of creative writing, as if to put his stake in the ground and claim territory. This also reflects the many years spent by the young author in creating this novel. Although brilliantly original, it is hard not to notice the similarities with Borges and Rushdie. The basic structure of the book positions it as heresy and has international characters within a local context, ala Borges. The basic content of the book positions it as magic realism and is interwoven with characters and stories of India in the 17-19th century, ala Rushdie. However, in a direct comparison, the book lacks the brevity and lucidity of Borges' and the believability and intensity of Rushdie.
Red Earth and Pouring Rain is the story of an 18th century hero (Sanjay), now in the body of a typewriter-friendly monkey, narrating stories of several characters in his life. The story of Sanjay is knit together as heresy by these characters within the overarching story being told by the monkey. If you follow what's going on so far, you are just about prepared to pick up this book, because there are up to 4 levels of insets within the novel, versus a 2-level inset described above.
This book dwindles between a 2-star and a 5-star. The trick is to persevere through the spotty parts in order to be satiated by the brilliant ones. For an ambitious debut such as this, Chandra deserves some slack be cut. The contrast in quality is unusual and I know multiple people who dropped the novel after book 2 or 3. Those who went back to it thanked heavens that they did.
The book stores gems of wisdom such as the surly sphincter theory, the battle between immortals, Sanjay eating his own words, and Janvi preserving her honor. Stay with the book till the end and it will certainly leave a mark on you for years to come.
Summary of Red Earth and Pouring Rain
A tale of nineteenth-century India - of Sanjay, a poet, and Sikander, a warrior; of hoofbeats thundering through the streets of Calcutta; of great wars and love affairs and a city gone mad with poetry. Woven into it are the adventures of a young Indian criss-crossing America in a car with his friends.Literature & Fiction Books
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