A river sutra

Description

A sequence of delicate, tragic stories by the bestselling author of Raj evokes the profound presence of tradition and desire. A retired bureaucrat has escaped the world to spend his twilight years running a guest-house on the banks of the country's holiest river, the Narmada. But he has chosen the wrong place for peace and quiet: too many lives converge here and he meets a series of unusual characters including a privileged young executive bewitched by a mysterious lover; a neophyte Jain monk moving from opulence to poverty; and an intense ascetic who resurfaces in a surprising reincarnation.

Description

Set on the banks of India's holiest river amid the constant traffic of pilgrims, archaeologists, policemen, priests, and traders, A River Sutra weaves the richness of India into the dangerous lives of its characters. A bureaucrat retires to the sacred river in search of tranquility only to encounter a girl fleeing her kidnappers, a naked ascetic and the child he has saved from prostitution, a teacher who confesses to murder, a millionaire monk, and a musician silenced by desire. Instead of finding serenity, the bureaucrat is forced to confront the powers of mythology, religion, music, and philosophy, and to acknowledge that the holy river has a sanctity more threatening than he can imagine. In this exquisitely written novel, Gita Mehta uses the traditional forms of Indian story-telling to explore the savagery of human love and to illuminate the paradoxes of India.

Subjects

Other Editions

• A river sutraVintage Books / Random House1994-01-01
• A river SutraN.A. Talese1993-01-01
• A river sutraHeinemann1993-01-01
• River SutraPenguin1993-10-01
• A river SutraVintage Books1994-01-01
• River SutraPaperbackVintage Books2007-05-22