A master of the travel narrative weaves three intertwined novellas of Westerners transformed by their sojourns in India. This startling, far-reaching book captures the tumult, ambition, hardship, and serenity that mark today's India. Theroux's Westerners risk venturing far beyond the subcontinent's well-worn paths to discover woe or truth or peace. A middle-aged couple on vacation veers heedlessly from idyll to chaos. A buttoned-up Boston lawyer finds succor in Mumbai's reeking slums. And a young woman befriends an elephant in Bangalore. We also meet Indian characters as singular as they are reflective of the country's subtle ironies: an executive who yearns to become a holy beggar, an earnest young striver whose personality is rewired by acquiring an American accent, a miracle-working guru, and others. As ever, Theroux's portraits of people and places explode stereotypes to exhilarating effect. The Elephanta Suite urges us toward a fresh, compelling, and often inspiring notion of what India is, and what it can do to those who try to lose--or find--themselves there.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Penetrating View of Modern India:
The novellas in this book are uncomfortably clear and sometimes the picture is not pretty. In a nutshell, the stories concern how Americans and Indians interact with each other and while there is redemption and nobility in places, there also is sleaze and rank opportunism. But what this book does best of all is portray India in all its facets. Upon completion, you'll feel like you've just spent about a year in this fascinating country. It's been a long time since I read Theroux -- an oversight I intend to... more info
India: what you see; what you only guess:
Powerful stories. There is a lot in them of what we western foreigners see when travelling in India, and a lot of what most of us only guess. After reading the three stories even your own memories are somehow changed. I have read quite a few books about India, fiction and non fiction, and this one is by far one of the most uncomfortable, and beautiful, though! Do not feel discouraged about going to experience the country after reading this book, as some reviewers say; on the contrary, it will help you... more info
Message undermines the medium:
The Elephanta Suite serves as a well written and easily digested (albeit unpleasant and disturbing) warning to those who would attempt to get a close-up view of India. However, Theroux's apparent need to steer his characters in directions that will deliver this message works against the quality of the fiction.
Innocents abroad:
This is my first Paul Theroux experience and even though I can now see how he is as much acclaimed as a travel writer as a straight novelist, reading this book left me with a feeling of great unease and just a bit scared. This trilogy of very loosely connected characters, reveals how India with all of her ancient mysteries, deals with westerners whose young eagerly try to become devotees of mystic religions, living in ashrams, chanting and dressing in the local style. The first story concerns a married,... more info
