THE SHADOW LINES. Review on Shadow Lines - Amitav Ghosh

Amitav Ghosh’s The Shadow Lines deals with political freedom in the modern world, nationalism and the shadow lines we people draw between us and nations. The line we have drawn is an absurd illusion. It is also a source of terrifying violence like a partition of India into Pakistan and Hindustan.

The novel tells the story of the three generations of the narrator’s family spread over Dhaka, Calcutta and London. He lines up characters from different nationalities, religions and culture in a close knit, palpable world.

The story revolves around the narrator’s search to find out about Tridib’s death which the family wants to forget but the narrator cannot because Tridib was his mentor and had given him ‘words to travel in’ and ‘eyes to see them with’. Through Tridib, the narrator learns using his imagination with precision. The novel also gives us the views of the various characters like Tha’mma, Ila, May, Jethamoshai and Robi and what boundaries mean to each of them.

Memory is the history that determines our perception of the present and our identity. Since we cannot change the history, it depends on us to choose the memory that suits our point of view. But, the memories that we choose to forget are more important than the ones we choose to remember. This is what Amitav Ghosh is trying to communicate to the readers through this novel.

The language used by the narrator is quite simple and easy to understand and the meaning of the text is beautifully conveyed, wherein lies the strength of the novel. The narrator also uses the technique of going back and forth in time which keeps the interest of the reader built in.