East of Suez - Annotated Edition

by Alice Perrin, Melissa Edmundson Makala (Editor)

Originally published in 1901, East of Suez was Alice Perrin’s first collection of short stories. Her fascinating and thought-provoking tales of Anglo-Indian life rival the best work of Kipling, and were hugely successful in their day. Perrin tells stories of illicit love and betrayal set against a beautifully-drawn backdrop of the mystical east, interweaving the supernatural with exquisite details of her characters’ lives. As the Times wrote in her “She wrote a simple, unforced style, and the reader feels keenly the heat, the dust, the moonrise, the night calls, and all the sights and sounds and smells of the unchanging East.”The stories Beynon, of the Irrigation Department* The Tiger-Charm* A Perverted Punishment* An Eastern Echo* A Man’s Theory* The Summoning of Arnold* In the Next Room* The White Tiger* Caulfield’s Crime* The Fakir’s Island* The Belief of Bhagwan, Bearer* ‘In the Court of Conscience’* Chunia, Ayah* The BiscobraThis new edition, edited by Melissa Edmunson Makala, Critical introduction* Author biography* Suggestions for further reading* Explanatory notes* Contextual material on representations of the British Raj* Illustrations from The Illustrated London News and The Windsor Magazine

Genres: Short Stories, Classics, Fiction

241 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2010

About the author

Alice Perrin was born in India in 1867, the daughter of Major General John Innes Robinson, of the Bengal Cavalry, and Bertha Beidermann Robinson. After her education in England, Perrin married Charles Perrin (d. 1931), an engineer in the India Public Works Department, in 1886, and the couple returned to India for the next sixteen years. Perrin’s career as a popular Anglo-Indian novelist and short story writer began with the two-volume novel Into Temptation, published in 1894. Her first collection of short stories, East of Suez, appeared in 1901. She continued publishing novels every two to three years until her last novel, Other Sheep, was published in 1932, two years before her death in Vevey, Switzerland, in 1934. In total, she published seventeen novels, many of which focus on the British colonial experience in India, such as The Spell of the Jungle (1902), The Anglo-Indians (1912), The Happy Hunting Ground (1914), Star of India (1919), and Government House (1925).

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I went looking for a book to fill a tricky year in my 100 Years of Books project, this book, in the Victorian Secrets catalogue caught my eye. I read that though she is forgotten now, Alice Perrin was a popular and respected author in her day, and that she was considered a feminine counterpart to Rudyard Kipling.

I was intrigued.

Her obituary in the Times said:

She wrote a simple, unforced style, and the reader feels keenly the heat, the dust, the moonrise, the night calls, and all the sights and sounds and smells of the unchanging East.

Now that I have read this volume of short stories, I have to agree with that; but I think that the comparison that was drawn was rather flattering. My view is good, certainly worth reading, but not that good.

The introduction made me think that she loved the country of her birth, and that she would treat the country, its people, and its culture respectfully.

‘One of the many lessons that the great Mother India instills into the hearts of her white foster children is to sympathise with one another’s troubles and misfortunes however trivial or however serious.’

As I read the fourteen stories that make up this book, I realised that she was a capable writer and that the form suited her. She had the ability to draw her reader into her tale and its setting very quickly and then to lay out an engaging story, which though it was short had a proper beginning, middle and ending.

Alice Perrin had the knack of making the India she knew come to life. It was a place where she was one of a small community of British people, surrounded by a culture quite unlike her own. It was a culture that she appreciated but didn’t really understand.

She did understand the home-sickness, the isolation and the alienation that many of her compatriots felt. And the effects that that the climate, the way of living and the local traditions had on their lives.

These stories reflect all of that, and they reflect the author’s great love of the India that she knew.

They are small human dramas, mostly revolving round love and romance. There are tales of the happily and unhappily married, of new and established couples, and of requited and unrequited love. Some of the stories have a dash of the supernatural, simply but effectively done, and there is madness, murder and much more. All of this produces a lovely range of stories.

The British characters are very well drawn. The Indian characters are secondary – most of them servants – and drawn much more simply. One story that focuses on Indian characters is less successful, because the author didn’t have to understanding to do any more than say what she saw.

I don’t want to say too much about particular stories, because they are quite simple; so I’ll just say that my favourites are the story of a woman who was separated from her husband on a hunt and surprised by his reaction when they were reunited, and the simplest of all of the stories, telling of another woman who worried about something she had never told her husband as she sat outside listening to him sing in his bath.

There were some contrivances, but there was a very real truth at the heart of each tale. I could believe that each one was based on real people and events, with some of them being a little altered and exaggerated in the retelling.

Alice Perrin did, as I had hoped, treat the India its people, and its culture respectfully. I suspect that she was a woman with sound principles, because I came to realise that virtue was rewarded and wrong-doing punished in every story. That was satisfying, but it did make some of the later stories a little predictable.

They are, nonetheless, good stories.

They are well written, engaging and evocative, and they catch women’s experiences at an interesting point in history, so I am glad that this book caught my eye.

[Hitesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice Perrin's "East of Suez" unfolds a mesmerizing tapestry of thirteen diverse short stories against the late-nineteenth-century backdrop of British-ruled India. Amidst the vivid descriptions of the Indian landscape, the collection encompasses domestic dramas, shikar tales, hauntings, and grand love affairs.

Perrin's writing style, though simple, possesses a poignant and evocative quality, providing readers with a timeless glimpse into an era long past. Each narrative introduces a fresh set of characters, ensuring a unique and memorable experience with every story.

The exploration of cultural and social dynamics adds depth to the collection. The astonishing adoption of Indian culture by the British and the unsettling treatment of Indian servants, particularly the Ayahs, brings forth a complex tapestry of historical realities.

"East of Suez" manages to evoke a range of emotions. From anticipated spine-tingling spookiness to the astonishment at British adoption of Indian traditions, the collection weaves stories that leave a lasting impact.

One notable aspect that adds a layer of serendipity to the book's journey is its discovery by the renowned author Ruskin Bond. If not for Bond's keen eye, "East of Suez" might have been lost in the folds of time. Bond's role in bringing this literary gem to light lends an extra layer of significance to the collection.

One standout feature is the impeccable variety in plots, ensuring every reader finds a resonant tale. Whether it's the mysterious call of a woman's ghost, a fortunate escape from a man-eating tiger, or the poignant reminiscences of a lost love, Perrin crafts narratives that linger in the reader's mind.

In summary, "East of Suez" is a gripping and memorable read, offering a nuanced exploration of life in the Raj. For enthusiasts of historical fiction or narratives set in unique cultural milieus, this collection stands as a literary gem, with its discovery by Ruskin Bond adding a touch of literary serendipity to Perrin's storytelling prowess.

Loved this one. Although this is not my choicest genre, I did love reading it.

[Sandeep · Rating 4 out of 5]

East of Suez - Alice Perrin
Rating - 4.25/5

This book has a lovely foreword by Ruskin Bond. Bond tells us the book is now obscure and is in print only because he managed to hide away a copy of the book, from the forest guest house at Chakrata - where he happened to stay for a day or two as a child.

Bond has summed up everything about the book so precisely in his foreword that, I daresay, I haven't written anything in this review of my own, other than those hinted in Bond's foreword. (may be the Hindu Karma - an exception)

Alice Perrin was a writer who lived in Kipling's shadow and she wasn't as famous as Kipling (I suppose so). But nevertheless the comparison is obvious and comes into picture because the era happens to be the same - late 19th century and the topics resemble one another - Sahibs and memsahibs and their everyday life/both work and personal.

Book comprises of a set of short stories each having a deep emphasis on human emotions and connections. It is always difficult to lay stress on emotions and connections in such short stories. But Alice Perrin achieves this effortlessly. One can affirm this only after reading the book. The stories are thought provoking and as I said previously, simple emotions have been observed, expressed and written in a profound way. The book is set in India, one gets to witness an India which was and is great in so so many ways with cultural, spiritual offerings many of which find a place in the book!

I read the stories very slowly owing to shortage of time and my mood, only to my dismay that, as I progressed, the stories got very interesting- and all the delay and slow progress made me curse myself, so much so that, I read the last 80 pages in a single day - rather single setting of few hours! (The writing is simple too).

Few of the stories were ghost stories and other few were about retribution - Sahibs and memsahibs inflicting pain/wound or mistreating native people (or animals) only to find pain in return. I am curious why and how this area of thought has been explored in this book. Is it the Hindu Karma which the author is talking about? Imagine a book set back in 1860's and having a British author exploring the thought of Hindu Karma - makes me wonder. Was it evident or just a co-incidence made up just for fictious stories? I suppose we shall never be able to get an answer for that!

Overall - the book has a different charm, vibe, call it whatever you may like. Slow life, slower days. I have this fascination towards books which are set in an era pre-independence. I have tried thinking about my fascination. It may be attributed to many a reason. It happens so - I might be finding it hard to adjust myself to the current fast pace of life - which is being led these days, amidst so much of stimulation that I look to spend some part of the day in a quiet way, reminiscing days when things were slower too. Such books give me a much needed fodder and company on days - which get over way too sooner - just to stretch on a bit of rumination. May be that's why!

Cheers!

[Girl from Mumbai · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a book lover, I am ashamed to admit that I have not read a single book in this past month. Life has taken over everything including my one true love which is books. So, when all the unread books lined up beautifully and waiting to be read dutifully started to stare at me from my bookshelf, guilt got the better of me, and I decided to read.

With my state of mind, I thought a light read would be a good start. So, I chose the book “East of Suez” written by Alice Perrin in 1901. The other reason to read this book was also because of the engaging foreword by Ruskin Bond with a lovely anecdote on how one night hoping to be spooked by ghosts in a quiet hotel in the hill station of ‘Chaktrata’ he stumbled upon a desolate volume of this book. He then decided to pinch the book so the world could read the stories written by ‘Alice Perrin.’ The book is a collection of short stories about the lives and times of the Sahibs and Memsahibs from the British era. The stories are divided into 2 parts Love/betrayal and hauntings. I found the story of the unrequited love of the melancholic Mr. Benyon really sad. Roused from his lonely aloof life by the arrival of the lovely Mrs. Massenger, he paid dearly for her attempts to make her husband jealous. The other stories in this part were also full of the human emotions of despair, love and the foolish things people do in its name.

The second half of the book had a few Ghost stories which were short, engaging and had me hooked. All the Ghosts, the ones that were there and the ones that were imagined, had me spooked. Posted in remote locations, sometimes in the middle of nowhere, dealing with heartache, loneliness, death, floods, blood sucking insects, ghosts and man-eating tigers the plight of the men & women of that time made for an engaging read.

I finished reading this book in a day because of its uncomplicated and straightforward prose. And while the stories don’t stay with you after you finish the book, they still grip you as you go through them one at a time.

Read it when you are in the mood to be entertained with some lite fiction from the Raj.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

East of Suez is a collection of short stories written by Alice Perrin and published in 1901. These stories are set during the Raj in India. This book is filled with stories of love and tales of haunting.

Alice Perrin really transports the reader to this place in time. The oppressive heat, the dust and the isolation of many of these locations is felt tangibly. The mood of these stories is often melancholic and eerie. Love is often heartbreaking. One man comes to a sad end after being faced with unrequited love. After hearing about the death of a man she once knew, a woman is haunted by what might have been. Beloved spouses die unexpectedly and too early.

Death is ever present throughout all of the stories in fact. Leading to a supernatural element. There is a haunted bungalow, a child ghost, and a woman’s ghost who summons her husband from the beyond. There are curses and a mythical lizard whose bite is more lethal than a cobra’s.

Perrin is quite respectful of India, it’s culture and it’s people for a woman of her time. She was born and raised in India. After a brief time in England she returned to India when she was married. This is a land she knew intimately and this comes across in her stories.

This book had been out of print until a man named Ruskin Bond found it in a bungalow he was staying at in India and read the stories in one night. He snuck it out of there in order to bring these fantastic stories out into the world again. I’m so glad to have come across this long forgotten collection of stories for I really loved them. Alice Perrin was a wonderful writer and storyteller. This collection was so transportive to me and I savored each story. I’d say this is one of my favorite short story collections that I’ve read.

I highly recommend this!

[Amrendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is indeed a moving book of short stories from the Raj. Some stories like 'Beynon- Of the Irrigation Department' where the protagonist throws himself to the river swarming with alligators in lament of affection not returned and 'An Eastern echo' where an Inspector is killed in a Muharram procession are poignant. Other stories like 'Caulfield's Crime' are eerie where a man shot by a bird-shooter becomes a jackal and haunts the shooter or 'The Summoning of Arnold' where the protagonist's dead wife comes calling for his spouse.

Overall, a good book with more than half of the 14 stories of really fine quality while the others are average but nonetheless interesting for someone interested in narration of the Raj days.

[Aldeena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting selection of stories from the Raj---a mix of the normal and the paranormal.

[Anand Ganapathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely collection of short stories ( some ghost stories included ) set in the British Raj.

[Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting, thought not exceptional, collection of short stories. The sentimentally-toned stories focus on the lives of the British civil servants and army personnel, and their wives, the necessary partners in the domestic dramas of the stories, who spent their careers in India. The 'natives' are simplistic, rarely developed characters. The second half, which has more ghost stories, was much more interesting to me than the love stories--the affairs, the almost affairs, the suspected-but-not-real affairs--which felt much too similar too each other. The most charming element of this collection was Ruskin Bond's foreword: how he finds the old volume in an untouched bookcase at a Himalaya hotel, how he steals the book so he can take it to the outside world; it was lovely. I was disappointed when I logged on to goodreads to find that another edition of this book was published in 2010! So much for a resurrected work of fiction. Still, I'd be interested in further reading of Alice Perrin's, as well as another reading choice curated by Ruskin Bond. Only gripe about this edition is that I read it after I lent it to a friend who read it, so it's been read twice, and the plastic coating is starting to separate from the paper cover on the edges.

[Pippa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was well written but the blurb claimed a parallel with Kipling. This, to me, is unjustified. Kipling is better by a factor of at least ten. (Sorry, Alice!)

[Nishant Parihar · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you never really clicked with the stereotypes of the Indian population by the Westerners, this would give you a glimpse of how the Indian society looked like in the early 20th century.

[ػᶈᶏϾӗ]

This is a book of short stories set in colonial india. I liked the stories.