Story Description:

Doubleday Canada|December 19, 2011|Hardcover|ISBN: 978-0-385-66699-2

“The only statement of revolt the poor could make was to put an end to their own misery. It happened all the time – men lay themselves on train tracks, hanged themselves from trees, consumed rat poison, and women set their kerosene-soaked bodies alight in front of their husbands. These were blazing ends to insignificant journeys. But in all this, there was always one man who, in that final gush of blood, in tha More...

This is the first time I saw Cheekus on the cover of a book. The name "Dahanu Road" was also intriguing. I had never heard of it before. Of course I had to find out where it was before I read the book! So I discovered that it is a taluka, 22 kms north of Boisar. Well, Boisar I had heard recently was a township on the outskirts of Mumbai, further from New Mumbai.

"Dahanu Road" is Anosh Iranis new book. His previous books are "The song of Kahunsa" and "The Cripple and his Talismans". (I haven't re More...

I really liked this book, though I'm not sure to what extent I was influenced by my interest in Zoroastrians (I was born into a Parsi family). If I'd had absolutely no connection with, or knowledge of, this group of people, would I have enjoyed it as much? I'm not so sure!

The novel goes back and forth in time, over the past century. The present focuses on the story of Zairos, a young Zoroastrain . . . heir to his grandfather's land (somewhere near Bombay)and his infatuation with a young tribal w More...

This is a very sensual novel, appealing to the senses. Zairos Irani is a young man, close to his grandfather Shapur. As he spends time with the old man, he is told stories of the past. He is also the one to find a worker's body in the orchard, and he finds himself drawn to the man's daughter. Kusum also finds herself drawn to Zairos and at the basis of this is a memory from her childhood. Zairos has lived a life of idleness and his first moves are hesitant. As the both find themselves defying ta More...

Anosh Irani happened to be the writer-in-residence at my university this past winter, which is what spurred me to pick up this book. Hearing him talk about his work gave great insight to the story itself, however I don't think that there is any need for prior knowledge about the Zorastrian faith before reading.

Anosh is a very engaging writer, the narrative drawing you in immediately. The story alternates between the narrative of Zairos, the young grandson of Sharur Irani, a wealthy Indian landow More...

Anosh Irani was born and grew up in Bombay, India so that is where the story takes place. Because this is India, the inevitable clash between groups of people, who are deemed different than themselves, is also the basis for this novel. Zairos is a young man whose family fled Iran and came to India, where they managed to become landowners. The land they 'claimed' however was the home of the local tribal people called the Warlis, who now work the land for the Iranis. A suicide of one of these Warl More...

Myth and history interweave artfully in this tale of revenge and ill-begotten love. In the town of Dahanu outside Bombay, Zairos, son of Aspi Irani, a landowner, finds Ganpat, a member of the local Warli tribe who work the land, hanging from one of his father's chickoo trees. His search for a reason for the man's suicide leads him to uncover some unpleasant facts about his own family's history. Along the way he falls in love with Ganpat's daughter, Kusum, far beneath his station and married to t More...

The story revolves around Zairos and Shapur irani (Zairos's grandfather). Shapur will tell part of his story to Zairos. Meanwhile Zairos will fall in love with a tribal (Warli) girl Kushum who is already married to a drunkard Laxman. Kushum is the daughter of Ganapat and granddaughter of Vithal. Ganapat and Vithal have worked in Shapur irani's chikoo farm.

Kushum will be leading a miserable life with Laxman, who will be demanding money he spent for their marriage to let her free. That is where th More...

I learned about Zoroastrians in this novel, and about the Warlis, an indigenous tribe of Northern India. I learned more about humans continue to subjugate and abuse 'other' -- other race, other tribe, other socioeconomic class, other gender.

Dahanu Road was worth reading just for those reasons, but I was also mesmerized by the characters. I read the book over two days, losing sleep because it was just too hard to put down.

Highly recommended ...

It's a beautifully writen book that stayed with me.

Interesting, some great warm characterisation in spite of lame woman-fridging at the end. I wish it read less like a first draft.