Synopses & Reviews
Following his spectacular debut, , Manil Suri returns with a mesmerizing story of modern India, richly layered with themes from Hindu mythology. is at once a powerful story of a country in turmoil and an extraordinary portrait of maternal love. Meera, the narrator, is seventeen years old when she catches her first glimpse of Dev, performing a song so infused with passion that it arouses in her the first flush of erotic longing. She wonders if she can steal him away from Roopa, her older, more beautiful sister, who has brought her along to see him. When Meera's reverie comes true, it does not lead to the fairy-tale marriage she imagined. She escapes her overbearing father only to find herself thrust into the male-dominated landscape of India after independence. Dev's family is orthodox and domineering, his physical demands oppressive. His brother Arya lusts after her with the same intensity that fuels his right-wing politics. Although Meera develops an unexpected affinity with her sister-in-law Sandhya, the tenderness they share is as heartbreaking as it is fleeting. It is only when her son is born that Meera begins to imagine a life of fulfillment. She engulfs him with a love so deep, so overpowering, that she must fear its consequences. Meera's unforgettable story, embodying Shiva as a symbol of religious upheaval, places among the most compelling novels to emerge from contemporary India.
Review
"Non-Indian readers will be able to relate to the family dynamics here, but a passing knowledge of Indian customs and recent history...would be helpful. Recommended." Library Journal
Review
"Manil Suri takes significant risks in his second novel....The only similarities between the two stories may be their setting in India and Suri's narrative skill." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Review
"Suri's vivid portrait of a woman in post-independence India engages timeless themes of self-determination." School Library Journal
Synopsis
Following his spectacular debut,
The Death of Vishnu, Manil Suri returns with a mesmerizing story of modern India richly layered with themes from Hindu mythology.
The Age of Shiva is at once a powerful story of a country in turmoil and an extraordinary portrait of maternal love. Meera, the narrator, struggles to establish herself against the male-dominated landscape of India after independence. Escaping her overbearing father, she falls into an ill-starred marriage with Dev, whose voice is as intoxicating as his physical demands are oppressive. His brother Arya lusts after her with the same intensity that fuels his right-wing politics, while in her sister-in-law Sandhya's company, Meera discovers a fleeting and heartbreaking eroticism. Only in her son, however, can Meera imagine fulfillment. She engulfs him with a love so deep, so overpowering, that she must fear its consequences.
Meera's compelling odyssey, embodying Shiva both as an erotic force and a symbol of patriarchy, places The Age of Shiva among the most important novels to come out of India in the last twenty years.
Synopsis
Following his spectacular debut, The Death of Vishnu, Manil Suri returns with a mesmerizing story of modern India, richly layered with themes from Hindu mythology. The Age of Shiva is at once a powerful story of a country in turmoil and an extraordinary portrait of maternal love. Meera, the narrator, is seventeen years old when she catches her first glimpse of Dev, performing a song so infused with passion that it arouses in her the first flush of erotic longing. She wonders if she can steal him away from Roopa, her older, more beautiful sister, who has brought her along to see him. When Meera's reverie comes true, it does not lead to the fairy-tale marriage she imagined. She escapes her overbearing father only to find herself thrust into the male-dominated landscape of India after independence. Dev's family is orthodox and domineering, his physical demands oppressive. His brother Arya lusts after her with the same intensity that fuels his right-wing politics. Although Meera develops an unexpected affinity with her sister-in-law Sandhya, the tenderness they share is as heartbreaking as it is fleeting. It is only when her son is born that Meera begins to imagine a life of fulfillment. She engulfs him with a love so deep, so overpowering, that she must fear its consequences. Meera's unforgettable story, embodying Shiva as a symbol of religious upheaval, places The Age of Shiva among the most compelling novels to emerge from contemporary India.
Synopsis
Following his debut novel The Death of Vishnu, Suri returns with a mesmerizing story of modern India richly layered with themes from Hindu mythology.
Synopsis
"In India's birth as a new nation parallels a woman's complex psychological journey confronting tradition and modernity. Exchanging sentimentality for clear vision, Suri reveals an immense humanity, and a tenderness for women making their way in a world of men. Drawn by this compelling narrative, I read this marvelous book in one sitting." --Kiran Desai, author of , recipient of the Man Booker Prize
Synopsis
'\"A stunning novel, proof that Manil Suri is a major storyteller of heart and intelligence.\" \'\"Amy Tan\n
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Synopsis
The Age of Shivais at once a powerful story of a country in turmoil and an "unflinchingly honest" portrait of maternal love'""intricately interwoven with the ancient rites and myths" (
Booklist) crucial to India's history. Meera, the narrator, is seventeen years old when she catches her first glimpse of Dev, performing a song so infused with passion that it arouses in her the first flush of erotic longing. She wonders if she can steal him away from Roopa, her older, more beautiful sister, who has brought her along to see him.
It is only when her son is born that Meera begins to imagine a life of fulfillment. She engulfs him with a love so deep, so overpowering, that she must fear its consequences.
Meera's unforgettable story, embodying Shiva as a symbol of religious upheaval, places The Age of Shivaamong the most compelling novels to emerge from contemporary India. Reading group guide included.
About the Author
Manil Suri's work has appeared in The New Yorker and has been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. A native of Mumbai, Suri lives in Silver Spring where he is a professor of mathematics at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.