Haunting and Mesmerizing

I first picked up this book because it was an Oprah Book Club selection. I thought that I'd be hip and read it along with everyone else. Of course, I didn't get around to it until months later. But when I actually picked up the book, I could not put it down. It was intense and mesmerizing from the first paragraph.

Immediately, I was brought in to the scenes, people and atmosphere of 1970s India. The story centers around four characters whose lives intertwine in a poetic and tragic way. Long after I finished the last sentence, I was still haunted by the final scene at the train station. It was an absolute study of the human spirit, and how it thrills and survives against the brutality of life. This story is the absolute epitome of poetic prose. The words glide off of the pages and dance in one's head. The ideas balance perfectly when you consider them in regards to sacrifice, the roles we play, and the pursuit of personal freedom.

After reading this novel, I had to take a few weeks to cope with the silence that remained, and all the questions I faced in my own life. It was a heavy book that makes you want to know more; a book that makes you believe the characters actually live on long after the book is closed.