Mistry does something that only the really natural writers can do: without apparent effort, manipulation or contrivance, he creates characters you like instantly and will gladly follow for as long as the novel leads. The book is about an Indian family during the years of Indira Ganhdi's rule; it's also a study of the times, its politics and corruption, and was especially interesting for me, who knows so little about life in the rest of the world. It had to be a good book: after I read Such a Long Journey, I wanted to go right out and buy a plane ticket and see India for myself.


From Publishers Weekly
Short-listed for the Booker Prize, this intelligent fictional portrait of the corrupt aspects of Indira Gandhi's regime focuses on a bank clerk who becomes a secret operative as an Indian-Pakistan war threatens in 1971. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Set in Bombay in 1971, this novel is both microscopic and macrocosmic in its portrait of the various lives of Gustad Noble--his family life, his work as a bank clerk, and, ultimately, his innocent participation in national intrigue. India's overall decay and corruption is evident everywhere, from the petty behavior of Noble's neighbors and friends to the double-dealing of Indira Gandhi's regime. Yet, at the end, Gustad Noble, with much of his previously placid existence disrupted, resolutely continues on his arduous journey of survival. There is one serious flaw--a much-needed appendix of Hindi expressions used in the story, with English translations--but otherwise this is an unusually superior novel.- Glenn O. Carey, Eastern Kentucky Univ., RichmondCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Review
?Mistry is a writer of considerable achievement.?Patiently and with loving humour, [he] develops a portrait and draws his people with such care and understanding that their trials become our tragedies.?
?Time

?A seamless, gracefully written trek through a rocky period in one man?s life.?A rewarding literary excursion.?
?Maclean?s

?This fine first novel demonstrates the bright-hard reality of India?s middle class.?Mistry is a singular pleasure to read, and his description of India is a lucid, living account.?
?San Francisco Chronicle

?A passionate embracing of life in all its manifestations.?
?Books in Canada

?A rich, humane work, undoubtedly one of the best novels about India in recent years.?
?The Spectator (U.K.)

?The world of Such a Long Journey is vivid, lively, and comic ? a rich and richly recreated setting.?
?Winnipeg Free Press

?Fascinating.?Mistry manages to convey a vivid picture of India through sharp affectionate sketches of Indian family life and a gift for erotic satire.?
?New York Times Book Review

?A highly poised and accomplished work.?
?The Observer (U.K.)

ANNOTATION

A moving domestic tragi-comedy that introduces readers to Gustad Noble, a devout Parsi and dedicated family man, who becomes enmeshed in the corruption of the Indira Gandhi years. His journey back to himself manages to be comical and heartbreaking, deeply compassionate and unsparing.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

It is Bombay in 1971, the year India went to war over what was to become Bangladesh. A hard-working bank clerk, Gustad Noble is a devoted family man who gradually sees his modest life unravelling. His young daughter falls ill; his promising son defies his father’s ambitions for him. He is the one reasonable voice amidst the ongoing dramas of his neighbours. One day, he receives a letter from an old friend, asking him to help in what at first seems like an heroic mission. But he soon finds himself unwittingly drawn into a dangerous network of deception. Compassionate, and rich in details of character and place, this unforgettable novel charts the journey of a moral heart in a turbulent world of change.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Short-listed for the Booker Prize, this intelligent fictional portrait of the corrupt aspects of Indira Gandhi's regime focuses on a bank clerk who becomes a secret operative as an Indian-Pakistan war threatens in 1971. (June)

Library Journal