A Rising Man

Mukherjee, Abir. A Rising Man. New York: Pegasus 2017. Print

First Sentences:

At least he was well dressed.

Black tie, tux, the works. If you're going to get yourself killed, you may as well look your best. 

Description:

I'm late to the party, I now add a critical evaluation factor to  determine the quality of a book. To my big three evaluation points ("Characters," "Plot," and "Writing Style"), I've now added  "Setting," the world where the characters live and plot occurs. Probably obvious to everyone else, but I've only recently begun to realize how much a role Setting has in my love for a specific book. 

The omnipresent setting sets the tone, drives the plot, defines the characters by their reactions to their world, and exemplifies the writing skill of the author challenged to realistically, compellingly describe an unique environment. Maybe it's a futuristic Sci Fi setting like in Ender's Game that pulls readers more deeply into the story. Or maybe the rawness of a maximum prison like My Life in Prison that grabs your attention. Or the dispassionate ocean in Life of Pi. Or the icy whiteness of Arctic Solitaire. Or the quiet isolation of a rural farm in Plainsong.  

This realization for me was brought about by Abir Mukherjee's wonderful detective novel, A Rising Man. The setting is Calcutta in 1919 colonial India. A Rising Mani details the daily life of both Indians and British as they exist in this environment, constantly interacting with each other, looking at their world from completely different perspectives.

First, there is the steamy hot environment of non-air conditioned post-War India where every minute the characters are aware of and must respond to the heat, the monsoon rains, dirt, poverty, stuffy rooms, and for some, the calm atmosphere and cool drinks beckoning from the Bengal Club.  

The stairwell smelled of respectability. In truth, it smelled of disinfectant, but in Calcutta that's pretty much the same thing.

Then there is the underlying tension between the 300 million Indians beginning to whisper about independence and the 150,000 British who tenuously keep order and rule over them. 

[There is an] insolence of natives for not being grateful for all the British had done and continue to do for them;

Captain Sam Wyndham, the newly-arrived Scotland Yard officer, has come to Calcutta to head up a special police force. He is also trying to escape his World War I memories, the loss of his family, and his opium addiction. But his first murder investigation, a back alley murder of an important city official, has undercurrents of Indian unrest with British rule that suggest challenges beyond the usual crime. 

Sounds pretty straightforward, huh? But it is the unsettling environment that breathes life and dimension into a simple investigation and challenges Wyndham each day. 

I sat on the bed and, not for the first time, questioned what I was doing out here, in this country where the natives despised you and the climate drove you mad and the water could kill you.  

A Rising Man brought back memories for me of my year in India. But for readers not familiar with the country, believe me, you will know and feel the realities of that country intimately from the first pages. The heat, the monsoon rains, the poverty, the class barriers, and the rising tide of anger against the British. 

A bonus is that author Mukherjee has written several more books about Wyndham and his life in British India. Can't wait to dive into them and re-enter the setting of colonial India. Very highly recommended.

Happy reading. 

Fred

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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Mukherjee, Abir. A Necessary Evil.   

Captain Wyndham and his Indian sargeant are riding in the car with an important prince when an assassin kills the prince with an ancient gun and later shoots himself. Religious fanatic? Political terrorist? Or someone with a completely different motive? Loved it. 

Brierley, Saroo.  A Long Way Home.   

True memoir of the author when, as a five-year-old boy is accidently left by his brother at an unknown train station in India. Not knowing the name of his hometown, where he is, or how he will survive drives this very engaging book. A great look inside India and its people as well. Highly recommended (previously reviewed here)