Such a Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry

Synopsis

It is Bombay in 1971, the year India went to war over what was to become Bangladesh. A hard-working bank clerk, Gustad Noble is a devoted family man who gradually sees his modest life unravelling. His young daughter falls ill; his promising son defies his father’s ambitions for him. He is the one reasonable voice amidst the ongoing dramas of his neighbours. One day, he receives a letter from an old friend, asking him to help in what at first seems like an heroic mission. But he soon finds himself unwittingly drawn into a dangerous network of deception. Compassionate, and rich in details of character and place, this unforgettable novel charts the journey of a moral heart in a turbulent world of change.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Annotation

A moving domestic tragi-comedy that introduces readers to Gustad Noble, a devout Parsi and dedicated family man, who becomes enmeshed in the corruption of the Indira Gandhi years. His journey back to himself manages to be comical and heartbreaking, deeply compassionate and unsparing.

Publishers Weekly

Short-listed for the Booker Prize, this intelligent fictional portrait of the corrupt aspects of Indira Gandhi's regime focuses on a bank clerk who becomes a secret operative as an Indian-Pakistan war threatens in 1971. (June)

Biography

Rohinton Mistry is the author of a collection of short stories, Tale from Firozsha Baag (1987), and two internationally acclaimed novels. Such a Long Journey (1991) won the Governor General’s Award, the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book, and the SmithBooks/Books in Canada First Novel Award and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. A Fine Balance (1995) won the prestigious Giller Prize, the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction, and The Royal Society of Literature’s Winifred Holtby Award. It was also shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and the Irish Times International Fiction Prize. Rohinton Mistry was the recipient of the 1995 Canada-Australia Literary Prize.

Born in Bombay in 1952, Rohinton Mistry came to Canada in 1975, and has lived since then near Toronto. His new novel will be published in 2002.