The Lowland (Book Review)

Subash and Udayan are two brothers who are similar in many ways. They stay in a small house near the lowland at Tollygunge. While Subash is the more reserved, Udayan is more outspoken. This difference eventually decides their fates. Subash lands up in America to do his further studies whereas Udayan joins the upcoming Naxalite movement in Calcutta. A few years later, their lives converge with Gauri, Udayan’s wife who is widowed and travels to America with Subash. Together they raise Bela, Udayan’s daughter. What unfolds is a twisting tale of exile and return, hatred and love, and the interplay of relationships being broken and healed.

The story highlights some key issues of which I would mention a few:

-        Relationships and family: This is largely the central theme of the whole story. Lahiri can bring the importance and genuineness of true brotherhood between Udayan and Subash. Further, we see the effect of forced marriage on the lives of Bela, Gauri, and Subash. While Subash tries to keep the relationship afloat, Gauri’s ignorance attempts to sink it! This eventually affects Bela who grows up to be hesitant towards commitments.

-        Westernizing the Indian: Another relevant theme that Lahiri brings out is the influence of Western culture on the young Indians. Though Subash is brought up in a traditional yet poor Bengali family, he adopts most of the Western culture when he moves to America for his further studies. Life in America influences him so much that he also begins a pre-marital affair with an American to-be-divorcee. Later, when Gauri enters America as Subash’s wife, she begins to feel isolated because of her traditional attire. Eventually, she cuts out all her saris and adopts the culture of the West.

In conclusion, I would say that the book is fast-paced though at some instances it felt as if the Lahiri was just dragging on with the story by introducing unnecessary details. Nonetheless, the presentation of the book is commendable as it puts the reader into the lives of the central characters. The language is simple and easy to understand with a few additions of Bengali words to add some extra flavor to the text. Overall, the book is worth the time spent reading as it compels you to be imaginative and at the same time it provides you with insights into the history of the Naxalite movement and its effect on its supporters at that time.