Fragile Mountains

by M.K. Limbu

Fragile Mountains is a novel about life, love, death and rebellion in the eastern hills of Nepal. It tells the story of three generations of a family through a period of twelve turbulent years in the country's later history. It is primarily about their hopes, dreams and aspirations. A young man dreams of finding his fortune in the city and suffers for it. A young woman dreams of becoming a nurse, but finds her dream thwarted when her arrogant father forces her into a marriage she doesn't want. A childless couple dreams of having a child and goes to great lengths to fulfill that dream. A young woman dreams of marrying her soldier sweetheart who is across the seven seas in England, but circumstances force him to break her heart. A young man dreams of 'liberating' the oppressed and exploited mass of his country by violent means. A farmer and his wife live life as it comes but find that they are mere tools of circumstances beyond their comprehension. And an old woman patiently waits for death because that's the only thing left to do. And so life goes on until the Maoist rebellion that's brewing in the countryside quickly turns into a juggernaut and overwhelms their lives.

This novel is also about the tradition and culture of the Limbu people of the eastern hills of Nepal. The Limbu are descendants of an ancient race called the Kirata, a people of Mongoloid stock who arrived and settled in the foothills of the Himalayas over two thousand years ago. When the Roman Empire was at the zenith of its power in Europe, the Kiratas were ruling vast swaths of the mountainous land in the Himalayas from their capital in Kathmandu valley. Then in the subsequent centuries they lost theirkingdom and fell into disarray, never to regain their former glory again. They moved eastward and subdivided into several ethnic groups along the way, the Limbu and Rai being chief among them. Now economically backward and politically marginalized, they are largely confined to the eastern hills of Nepal where they eke out their livelihood by farming the terraces. They have their own religion and their own language complete with a script. Limbu men as a tradition join the British Brigade of Gurkhas and upon retirement settle in the cities.

443 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Michael1108 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently picked up this book again when examining a long-forgotten box of books. one line from the back cover stuck me immediately, "it is said that all human activities seem futile and insignificant against the backdrop of the mighty Himalayas"

so I opened it and found myself can't stop following the gripping narratives of eastern Nepal. the author's perspective of all aspects of this particular area of Nepal are more distinct and in depth than most English books out there in the market.

will give a full review when finished reading

[Richa Bhattarai · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a beautiful, underrated novel about hardships and happiness of living in Nepal. I read it in my teens, and loved it. Reading Shradha Ghale's 'The Wayward Daughter' brought back memories of this novel, the family and its tangled relationships.

[Tushar Gupte · Rating 5 out of 5]

culture and life in the valley of the Eastern Himalayas.