LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2013
‘Sublimely brilliant’ - Esther Freud
‘An author, at the height of her artistry, spins the globe and comes full circle’ - Vogue
‘Profound … real and convincing. The characters don’t act like people in a novel: they are much closer to real life in their responses, their heartfelt cries of pain’ - Eileen Battersby, Irish Times
‘Poignant story and epic sweep’ - Tatler
‘Powerful portrait of lives unravelled and new beginnings’ - Woman and Home
‘A domestic epic that manages to combine the personal and intimate with the political and the public superbly well’ - Daily Mail
‘Renowned for her exquisite prose and penetrating insights, Lahiri attains new heights of artistry – flawless transparency, immersive intimacy with characters and place – in her spellbinding fourth book and second novel, a magnificent, universal, and indelible work of literature. An absolute triumph’ - Booklist
‘Haunting … A novel that crosses generations, oceans, and the chasms within families … A formidable and beautiful book’ - Publishers Weekly
From Subhash’s earliest memories, at every point, his brother was there. In the suburban streets of Calcutta where they wandered before dusk and in the hyacinth-strewn ponds where they played for hours on end, Udayan was always in his older brother’s sight.
So close in age, they were inseparable in childhood and yet, as the years pass – as U.S tanks roll into Vietnam and riots sweep across India – their brotherly bond can do nothing to forestall the tragedy that will upend their lives. Udayan – charismatic and impulsive – finds himself drawn to the Naxalite movement, a rebellion waged to eradicate inequity and poverty. He will give everything, risk all, for what he believes, and in doing so will transform the futures of those dearest to him: his newly married, pregnant wife, his brother and their parents. For all of them, the repercussions of his actions will reverberate across continents and seep through the generations that follow.
Epic in its canvas and intimate in its portrayal of lives undone and forged anew, The Lowland is a deeply felt novel of family ties that entangle and fray in ways unforeseen and unrevealed, of ties that ineluctably define who we are. With all the hallmarks of Jhumpa Lahiri’s achingly poignant, exquisitely empathetic story-telling, this is her most devastating work of fiction to date.