The Nature of Things

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri My rating: 5 of 5 stars In post-World War II India, the city of Calcutta (now Kolkata), two boys are born fifteen months apart to the Mitra family. The older of the two is named Subhash, the younger, Udayan. They grow to maturity in the heady period of Indian history when the country is achieving its independence from Britain and attempting to evolve into a united, workable democracy. The two brothers are inseparable and are often mistaken for each other as they are growing up, but they develop into very different personalities. Subhash is a steady, stable individual, apolitical and responsible. Udayan is charismatic and impulsive and politically active. He is drawn into the Naxalite movement, a rebellion based on the precepts of communism, which waged a sometimes violent campaign to eradicate inequity and poverty. (This was an actual historical movement, one which is still a force in India today. ) While Udayan becomes more and more involved in the rebell...