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Across the Lakes
Despite the seemingly unbridgeable social divides of Calcutta, a city where pleasure and indolence co-exist with extreme poverty, the lives of three young people are inextrcably connected—by family, by proximity, by accident. Political power play and corruption, petty local gangsterism, and the smell and color of Indian city life all combine with a delicate vein of humor in Amal Chatterjee's fluent first novel.
- GenresIndia
246 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 8, 2008
Travelling With a Friend
Dear Amal,
Travelling with a friend has its pros and cons. The disadvantages of having to debate which road to take and which lodgings are most suitable are usually offset by the joy of experiences shared, the wonder and laughter provoked by unfamiliar sights, sounds, scents and customs. This joy is multiplied when your travelling companion is a formidable storyteller and has a profound knowledge of the country and culture being explored. And so, on page 1 of our journey, you took me firmly by the hand and led me into the city.
“The Dhakuria Lakes are the lungs of South Calcutta. Once upon a time they marked the boundary of the city, beyond them lay the railway lines and beyond those the fields and villages. Now of course they have all been absorbed into the metropolis and today, when you cross the Dhakuria Railway Bridge, you enter the new districts of the city, beginning with Jodhpur Park and going all the way up to Garia.”
This reminds me of Tolkien, leading the reader into an unknown world, secure in the knowledge that each of the unfamiliar names will be given their true meaning and weight as the journey proceeds. At first I wanted to rush ahead, frustrated by the pace of our progress. But I could hear you whisper: “Patience, dear fellow, patience. All will be revealed in good time.” And so you led me gently through the four disparate lives of your protagonists until they were eventually inextricably linked. Only later did I realise that, like Tolkien, the gentle pace and elaborate exploration of each life were essential in assigning the exact weight required to fully understand the events that were to unfold and each character’s unique response and role. And I marvelled, once again, at the power that fiction has to explore a culture in a manner that is far more vibrant and perhaps even “factual” than non-fiction. I am convinced that I have learned more about India from your book than I would have had I travelled the length and breadth of the country for several months. The latter experience might have given me the full sensory impact, but the characters would have moved aimlessly, without purpose. I would not have understood their plight, nor the duties and customs that steer their movements.
There is much more to say, many more questions to be answered, but for now I will end off by thanking you for your expert guidance, your wonderful evocation of a country and culture that I long believed was impenetrable, beyond my understanding.
(Amal Chatterjee’s Across the Lakes was published in 1998 by Phoenix House of London.)
Dear Amal,
Travelling with a friend has its pros and cons. The disadvantages of having to debate which road to take and which lodgings are most suitable are usually offset by the joy of experiences shared, the wonder and laughter provoked by unfamiliar sights, sounds, scents and customs. This joy is multiplied when your travelling companion is a formidable storyteller and has a profound knowledge of the country and culture being explored. And so, on page 1 of our journey, you took me firmly by the hand and led me into the city.
“The Dhakuria Lakes are the lungs of South Calcutta. Once upon a time they marked the boundary of the city, beyond them lay the railway lines and beyond those the fields and villages. Now of course they have all been absorbed into the metropolis and today, when you cross the Dhakuria Railway Bridge, you enter the new districts of the city, beginning with Jodhpur Park and going all the way up to Garia.”
This reminds me of Tolkien, leading the reader into an unknown world, secure in the knowledge that each of the unfamiliar names will be given their true meaning and weight as the journey proceeds. At first I wanted to rush ahead, frustrated by the pace of our progress. But I could hear you whisper: “Patience, dear fellow, patience. All will be revealed in good time.” And so you led me gently through the four disparate lives of your protagonists until they were eventually inextricably linked. Only later did I realise that, like Tolkien, the gentle pace and elaborate exploration of each life were essential in assigning the exact weight required to fully understand the events that were to unfold and each character’s unique response and role. And I marvelled, once again, at the power that fiction has to explore a culture in a manner that is far more vibrant and perhaps even “factual” than non-fiction. I am convinced that I have learned more about India from your book than I would have had I travelled the length and breadth of the country for several months. The latter experience might have given me the full sensory impact, but the characters would have moved aimlessly, without purpose. I would not have understood their plight, nor the duties and customs that steer their movements.
There is much more to say, many more questions to be answered, but for now I will end off by thanking you for your expert guidance, your wonderful evocation of a country and culture that I long believed was impenetrable, beyond my understanding.
(Amal Chatterjee’s Across the Lakes was published in 1998 by Phoenix House of London.)
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November 4, 2011I've read many similar stories to this, and not all the characters were made the best use off.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews