In November, we read The Hungry Tide (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005) by Amitav Ghosh. The novel is set in the magical and unforgiving Sundarban region, or tide country, of Bengal. Consisting of a lush archipelago of tiny islands, the tide country is known for its dense mangroves, sprawling labyrinth of rivers and creeks and rich wildlife including stealthy Bengal tigers. The pattern of the tide governs life in this remote, treacherous region. Living in these majestic waters are ferocious crocodiles, sharks and the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin. It is this animal that attracts one of the central characters to the tide country. Piya Roy, an American cetologist of Indian origin, ventures into the Sundarbans to study this threatened animal. En route, she meets Kanai Dutt, a Delhi businessman, who is also on his way to the region to visit his aunt Nilima on the island of Lusibari. He is on this trip to uncover details about his late Uncle Nirmal's writings and mysterious last days. His last visit was in the 1970s when he learned of the regions' reverence for Bon Bibi, their local goddess, and met with the troubled character, Kusum. Piya and Kanai part ways after their initial meeting on the packed Delhi train, but meet again after both have learned and grown in powerful ways.

Piya is an independent, adventurous scientist who has carried out her work in remote places around the world, often knowing little about these countries. In the Sundarbans, Piya experiences a series of unsettling events that land her in the care of Fokir, an illiterate crab-cather, and his son, Tutul. In spite of the language barriers, a warm affection develops among the three. Fokir's deep knowledge of the Sundarbans helps Piya track and study the elusive dolphins on his small boat.

Meanwhile in Lusibari, Kanai's learns about his uncle Nirmal's final days through the letters penned nearly two decades ago. The journal reveals that Nirmal lived an unfulfilling life as a headmaster of a school because he left his revolutionary activities in Calcutta to come to Lusibari. However, Nirmal reclaims some of this loss through his involvement with the refugees in Morichijhapi, another island in the tide country, and the ultimate massacre they face. The journal also reveals details on Kusum's life. Nilima, on the other hand, is a steady and enterprising woman who brought medicine and a hospital to the island through the impressive Badabon Trust. Since she depends on the support of her contacts in the government, Nilima is unwilling to compromise her Trust for other causes. This causes deep fissures in her marriage. Kanai also meets Moyna, an educated and determined woman, who is frustrated by her wandering, uneducated husband who would rather their son catch crabs than attend school. This man is Fokir. And so the lives of the characters are woven together.

Piya, Fokir and Kanai finally connect. Fokir becomes Piya's guide in her continuing research on the dolphins and Kanai joins in this mission. After learning that Fokir is the late Kusum's son, the growing bond between he and Piya inspires jealousy in Kanai. Piya also discovers the depth of Fokir's feelings for his wife Moyna, despite their apparent differences. The novel highlights the delicate environmental balance of the Sundarbans and deals with love, loss, redemption, politics, myth and passion.

In our discussion, Ghosh's vivid, detailed description of the tide country was the most appealing aspect of the novel. His romantic, lyrical style created crisp images of the Sundarban region and transported us to an imagined landscape of thick mangroves, schools of dolphins and ferocious tigers. Ethel, a regular member, added that many of Ghosh's verses were poetic. She also commented that unlike previous authors we have read, Ghosh seldom used foreign words. When he did, he explained them immediately or they were understood based on the context in which they were used. Darryl commented that the stereotype of Bengali women henpecking their husbands is reproduced in the novel through Nilima and Nirmal's marriage. Another reflection was that Moyna and Fokir's marriage is not well explored. However, Aleysha, a new member, said that it was Moyna's spirit that appealed to Fokir, a feature of their relationship that was likely intentionally left unexplained. Religion in the novel was also discussed. Islam, Hinduism and local folklore through the tale of Bon Bibi were all influences on the religious 'melting pot', as Darryl described it, of the tide country. This added to the region's distinctive nature as a mystical and fascinating part of the subcontinent. Kanai's character was also discussed with some stating that he did not have much substance, but was rather in the story as a vehicle to reveal and discover things about other characters. Overall, it was Ghosh's evocative and romantic descriptions of the tide country and the new knowledge of this intriguing, mysterious archipelago we gained that struck readers the most.

We meet next on December 3rd to discuss Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found by Suketu Mehta. Darryl, who has started reading this book, told us that it is a great read so far. We're all excited to sink our teeth into this one now!