Book Review: East of the Sun by Julia Gregson
A Compelling Tale of Personal Discovery and Friendship
In East of the Sun (Orion, 2008), Julia Gregson has created a work of fiction exploring the impact of the exotic Indian culture and climate on the lives of three British women. This book is her tribute to the many British Memsahibs who for a variety of reasons travelled to India and fell in love with the country and the people.
Plot Summary – East of the Sun
In 1928, Viva Holloway acts as a chaperone on a journey to India. Her charges are the beautiful and naive Rose on her way to marry a cavalry officer she hardly knows, Rose’s best friend Victoria (Tor) who is determined to use this opportunity to free herself from the influence of her mother, and the disturbed and unpredictable Guy, a teenager who is returning to his parents in India after a ten year absence.
Viva is on a quest of her own, to return to the land where her parents and sister died and reconnect with her memories of them through a trunk of their possessions held in trust for her by a family friend. A friendship develops between the three women that will sustain them as they face uncertainties and challenges.
Once they arrive in India, they are confronted by a culture and climate for which they are largely unprepared. Rose faces fears about her hasty decision to marry, while Tor finds herself thrust into the Bombay social scene by her hostess, the insensitive Ci Ci Mallinson. Viva, an aspiring writer, must find a way to support herself and eventually finds a position working in a local orphanage.
Throughout the novel, Guy remains a disturbed and malignant presence, threatening Viva’s safety and wellbeing and challenging her ability to act with confidence and control.
An Alternative view of British Women in India
Rose, Tor and Viva each journey to India seeking something new for their lives – the security of marriage, freedom from social expectations, and the opportunity to uncover family secrets and begin a process of healing. Each woman must also confront and resolve her own need to love and be loved.
Rose and Tor must learn to be independent, relying on their own strength rather than facing life as a team. Viva faces the opposite dilemma and must learn to share more of herself with others if she is going to truly be able to move on from the traumas of her childhood.
Through their personal struggles, each woman embraces India and incorporates the atmosphere and culture into her heart and life. Rose finds a strength that she was missing in her comfortable English home and Tor develops a sense of self-esteem that she has been lacking.
Through her work at the orphanage, Viva learns to accept her own failings and disappointments and to move on, unlocking her gift for writing as she records the stories of the lives of the young children she comes to care for deeply.
A Tribute to India
The internal struggles and triumphs of Viva, Rose and Tor are showcased in a backdrop of exotic Indian countryside, thriving Bombay culture and the political conflict between the British military and the Indian people. Set in the time of Ghandi and his message of non-violent resistance against the British, East of the Sun is a story of three young women enriched by their experiences in India.
East of the Sun is compelling and enjoyable historical fiction. The sights, smells, tastes and sounds of India are described with appreciation and the people with respect. East of the Sun creates an evocative image of India during the rebellion against the British occupation.
East of the Sun (ISBN: 978-0-7528-7436-4, 458 pages)
East of the Sun by Julia Gregson
|
What do you think about this article?
Comments
More in Reading & Literature
Latest Articles