The Shadow Lines - Softcover

'...this first volume in a promise trilogy is a gem.' * Guardian * 'Beautifully written, this totally absorbing novel will leave you eagerly awaiting a second instalment' * She Magazine * 'A captivating cast ... Ghosh's saga is enriched with a blizzard of Laskari- and Hindi-derived words that add irrepressible energy to the narrative' * Metro * 'The fantastic Anglo-Asian language they speak is infectious, and the sombre yet uncertain conclusion leaves one eager for the second novel in the trilogy' * Daily Telegraph * 'A richly drawn cast of characters ... gilded with expertly-mined historical detail' * Sunday Business Post * 'A master of fiction' * Economist * Ghosh turns the ship into something robustly, bawdily and indelibly real . . . a plot of Dickensian intricacy * New York Times * This is a corker * Spectator * 'Each scene is boldly drawn, but it is the sheer energy and verve of Amitav Ghosh's storytelling that binds this ambitious medley' * Daily Mail * 'A remarkably rich saga' * Observer * 'Ripping post-colonial yarn ... Ghosh spins a fine story with a quite irresistible flow, breathing exuberant life ... an absorbing vision' * Guardian * 'There can be fewer more exciting settings for a novel than a sea-tossed sailing ship ... Ghosh piles detail upon detail in a rumbustical adventure' * The Times * 'Ghosh's narrative is enriched with a wealth of historical detail ... as well as intricate characterisation that makes interaction among the diverse group truly absorbing' * The Times * 'This is a panoramic adventure story, with a Dickensian energy and scope' * Sunday Telegraph * 'An utterly involving book' * Sunday Times * 'A glorious babel of a novel ... marvellously inventive ... utterly involving ... The next volume cannot come too soon' * Sunday Times * 'Sea of Poppies Boasts a varied collection of characters to love and hate, and provides wonderfully detailed descriptions of opium production ... utterly involving and piles on tension until the very last page' * Peter Parker, Sunday Times * PRAISE FOR SEA OF POPPIES * - * Ghosh has found his own distinctive voice - polished and profound . . . A compelling novel, wistful in its tone, assured in its achieved vision * Times Literary Supplement * Stunning . . . amusing, sad, wise * New York Times Book Review *

A wide-eyed boy growing up in suburban Calcutta in the 1960s experiences the world through the eyes of others - an intoxicating older cousin, a grandmother who weaves stories from the past and a family in London whose lives are intertwined with his. When a seemingly random act of violence threatens his vision of the world, he begins piecing together events for himself, and in the process unravels secrets with devastating consequences. Set in Calcutta and London and spanning generations from the outbreak of the Second World War to the late twentieth century, The Shadow Lines is a haunting novel from one of the world's greatest writers.