For the Adventurous Reader: A Book Review of Latitudes of Longing by Shubhangi Swarup
A young woman, born to parents who lost themselves and melded with the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal, is sent to the mainland of India and falls in love. On the mainland is a poet and revolutionizer whose mother is trying to extract him from jail. The poet’s mother is the former housekeeper of the father of the young woman who is now on the mainland trying to cohabitate with a man that she loves but does not understand. The son resulting from the young couple’s consummation is guided in life by the ghost of the grandfather that sent the young woman to the mainland to avoid the ghosts of the Andaman Islands.
Latitudes of Longing is one story that is more like a river fed by multiple headwaters. The debut novel by author Shubhangi Swarup embraces the fluid nature of the present and gathers readers up to tell a story of people in relation to the world around them. As First Page host Sharin Bhatti celebrates, “Latitudes of Longing will leave you with a lot of haunting silences within yourself.”
Swarup’s magic is making one brief moment in time matter in the grandness of eternity. She writes miniscule details that become sacred enough for us to meditate on the pages of her book. The Latitudes of Longing narrator and plot are dedicated exclusively to telling the story of the here and now of a moment. It is up to the reader to connect the various points in time and comprehend the greater purpose.
Putting together this book review was challenging because Swarup’s novel is so abstract. The Kirkus Review identifies one of the book’s challenges as, “Visions are remarkable experiences that are notoriously difficult to capture in language, and here they fall into ineffectual repetition.” Every written sentence in the Latitudes of Longing contains some allusion to a greater idea. While the cover jacket claims the book, “offers a soaring view of humanity,” I felt adrift very far above the events, maybe a little too high up.
While labeling Swarup’s prose as lyrical may be true for some readers, I would classify her work more metaphorical than melodious. A song beckons people to keep listening, and where the lyrics fail the rhythm encourages an audience on and vice versa. Swarup’s complex sentences had me rereading multiple lines per page in order to appreciate the metaphors and allegories she crafted. According to Swarup in an interview with First Page this was her purpose because, “taking time to slow down and reread is an endangered habit we think we don’t have time for.”
I can appreciate the nonlinear plot Swarup constructed. Columbia Journal contributor Abhigna Mooraka adds, “The narrative does not attempt to patronize or terrorize its readers. It simply seeks to tell a story.” Good stream of conscience novels and third person omniscient narrators are difficult to write and even less appreciated. Swarup is a gifted writer, and her concept stands out in a market of novels that spoon feed stories to readers. The execution of her noble idea could be exacted with a little experienced mentorship guiding a rewrite.
This book is a give it a chance selection. The Andaman Islands become very real deep in the pages of Latitudes of Longing. The sense of place, fresh voice, and mental challenge make this book worth trying out for the adventurous reader. I have a strong feeling every reader is going to experience something wildly unique from another which makes this book all the more enticing. For those of you that give Swarup’s debut novel a try, leave me a comment so we can know your opinion of the book.
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