Writers Abroad Magazine Issue 2 March 2015 | Page 19

WRITERS ABROAD MAGAZINE
novel, The Home and The World. The book is so poetically written that I am moved to
tears, not so much by the details of the story as by the sheer beauty of the writing.
The story is set in Bengal, India, at the time when nationalist movements were stirring
against the British and explores the reactions of two very different men, and alongside
and between them, a woman waking up to her own power and the possibilities of the
modern world. It explores domestic love and forbidden passion, the relationships
between men and women, the power of weakness and the weakness of power. It looks
deeply into the thinking of a ruthless politician, and the logic that drives his corrupt
actions, and allows us, by the magic of Tagore’s pen, to feel what he feels, so that you
come away better understanding how power attracts and corrupts.
The book also draws an intimate picture of a wealthy Indian household, the
relationships within that household and the