Description
In London in the early 1980s, an unnamed narrator unfolds a web of stories and memories to his cousin Ila and his uncle Robi, tracing how the past keeps rewriting the present. Through his recollections, the novel explores the “shadow lines” that political borders draw—lines that seem solid from one viewpoint yet vanish from another, and that live on in imagination as much as in maps. As personal relationships intertwine with historical upheavals, the book examines how identity, nationhood, and belonging are shaped by time, distance, and the stories we inherit. Amitav Ghosh’s distinctive, lyrical style turns memory into a lens for understanding conflict and connection, making this a powerful meditation on perspective and the human cost of boundaries.
Available Editions
paperback
Penguin Canada
Published Jan 26, 2010
288 pages
ISBN: 9780143066569
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Details
First Published
1988
Language
eng
Content Warnings
Content and trigger warnings for The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh.