Book Review- Gun Island

Hello! This blog is assigned by Megha Trivedi Ma’am. This blog's goal is to teach how to properly cite sources. It discusses Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh as a book review.

Book review

GUN ISLAND

What is a Book review?

A book review is a critical evaluation of a book. It is a written assessment of the book's content, strengths, and weaknesses. The purpose of a book review is to provide a summary of the book's main points and to give an evaluation of the book's overall quality. A book review can also provide a personal opinion of the book, and whether or not the reviewer would recommend it to others.

Book reviews can be written by professional critics, journalists, or other experts in the field, or by regular readers. They can be published in newspapers, magazines, websites, or on social media platforms. They can be formal or informal and can range in length from a few sentences to several pages. Book reviews are important because they help readers decide whether or not to read a book. They provide information about the book's content, style, and themes, and can give a sense of whether the book is worth reading. They also help authors by providing feedback on their work and by promoting their books to potential readers.

A review of Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island.

Gun Island is a 2019 novel by Indian author Amitav Ghosh. It is a modern retelling of a Bengali myth. The novel is set in the Sundarbans, a region in the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers in the Indian state of West Bengal and the neighboring country of Bangladesh. Gun Island is a captivating and thought-provoking novel by Amitav Ghosh. The story follows the journey of Dinanath Datta (deen, Dinu), a rare book dealer. The novel is richly detailed and expertly crafted, with vivid descriptions of the places and cultures that Deen encounters. Ghosh expertly weaves together elements of science, myth, and history to create a complex and compelling narrative. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and their journeys are both emotional and enlightening.

One of the novel's strengths is its exploration of the impact of climate change on the world. The novel raises important questions about the role of humans in causing and addressing the issue, and it highlights the urgent need for action. Ghosh does an excellent job of bringing this important issue to the forefront of the story without overwhelming the narrative. One of the weaknesses of the novel is that it takes a while to get into the story, and it can be confusing at times. The story jumps around between different characters and locations, which can make it difficult to follow.

The Novel Gun Island is divided into Two Parts- The Gun Merchant and Venice. The novel begins with The narrator Dinanath’s introduction to the words Bonduki Sadgar when he comes to his domicile place. Through various characters, he gets to know the story of The Gun Merchant and Manasa devi. The whole novel is driven by Deen’s exploration of the Myth. The novel is a sequel to Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide and it seems as if it is answering Ghosh’s question which he raised in his non-fiction The Great Derangement. Throughout the novel, Deen is forced to confront his own beliefs as he uncovers a series of secrets that have been passed down through generations. Ultimately, the novel is a story of how one man's journey leads him to an understanding of the interconnectedness of all things, and the power of storytelling to shape our understanding of the world.

The narrative primarily addresses climate change and mass migration. But in the background, we read different topics like

• The Importance of Documentation
• technology vs Book
• The etymology of the words/ transformation of language in translation or carrying stories mouth-to-mouth
• History
• Power of journalism
• Human trafficking and organ smuggling
• Homosexuality

There is a lot of uncanniness in the book. We feel as Amitav Ghosh has pushed the novel along by situations that one could just as easily attribute to “mere chance,” global warming, or the wrathful vengeance of a Goddess scorned.

Lives and events don’t evolve with inevitability but are forced forward, obliged to make a point. An evening walk ends with Cinta and Deen swamped by shipworms, a creature that is proliferating because of warming sea waters and is now eating up Venice’s wooden pilings. A beach visit sees the abnormal appearance of a deadly yellow-bellied sea snake. One might argue that these occurrences are essential in a novel about climate change, but they are arranged like set pieces, stilted and obvious, exposing the novel’s compulsion to bring together as many uncommon natural phenomena as possible.

In one of his interviews, he says that Climate-related 

migration and displacement… change is 

uncanny, and disoriented. So to write about it today is to 

write about uncanny. We don't know what's happening worldwide... 

Uncanny is the heart of the book. In depicting 

a wide range of diverse characters from 

various countries and subtly invoking the myth 

and history, fact and fiction, Ghosh has 

created a work that contrasts nostalgia 

for a lost past with concerns for the contemporaneous.

Amid the freak cyclones and oxygen-starved waters comes the story – or stories – of migration across the ages; tales of escapology, of deprivation and persecution, of impossible yearnings for a new world that bring us, inexorably, to the terrified refugees on the Mediterranean. This is, perhaps, Ghosh’s essential point; a shaggy dog story can take a very roundabout path toward reality, but it will get there in the end. It has to, or we’re all doomed. (Clark in TheGuardian)

Overall, Gun Island is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that will appeal to readers who enjoy literary fiction with a strong sense of place and culture. Ghosh's writing is masterful and the story is both enlightening and emotionally engaging. I would highly recommend this book to readers who are looking for a novel that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. In a way, it is a complex novel and It is very difficult to tell a straight story. Every character in the novel has its own story which brings newness to the tale. It gives us a way of looking at myths, Insight into climate change and migration not only of humans but also of the animal world.

These are some phrases from the book that I enjoyed and represent my personal learning outcome. It also gives a beautiful insight into life.

• ‘Don’t set yourself up to fail, yet again.’
• ‘Do you think that people elsewhere don’t believe in such things?’
• ‘People think that knowing the future can help you prepare for what is to come – but often it only makes you powerless’
• ‘It’s always a mistake, to do the easy thing, just out of habit.’
• ‘Impossible is nothing’ – ‘Just do it!’
• ‘Time itself is in ecstasy.’

Visit my Blog on Gun Island

Works Cited

Amitav Ghosh: Gun Island. Chicago Humanities Festival, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPsj_lstkBs. Accessed 10 1 2020.

Amitav Ghosh on "Gun Island" | 2019 National Book Festival. PBS Books, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1ThLi0wkMw. Accessed 10 1 2023.

Amitav Ghosh - Reading and Conversation on Gun Island. Institute of the Humanities and Global Cultures, 2019, https://youtu.be/pixQalTh0xQ. Accessed 6 January 2023.

Barad, Dilip. “Gun Island (Sem 4-2022).” YouTube, 19 February 2022, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSmZQVxjN9_iDDfODO-NC3Le2cOAd9Xnt. Accessed 6 January 2023.

Battaglia, Ian J. “On Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh - The Kenyon Review.” Kenyon Review, 2019, https://kenyonreview.org/reviews/gun-island-by-amitav-ghosh-738439/. Accessed 6 January 2023.

Clark, Alex. “Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh review – climate and culture in crisis.” The Guardian, 5 June 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jun/05/gun-island-amitav-ghosh-review. Accessed 6 January 2023.

Ghosh, Amitav. Amitav Ghosh : Home, https://www.amitavghosh.com/. Accessed 10 January 2023.

Iyengar, Vidya. “B’luru artist illustrates Amitav Ghosh’s latest novel.” The New Indian Express, 24 June 2019, https://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/books/2019/jun/24/bluru-artist-illustrates-amitav-ghoshs-latest-novel-1994386.html. Accessed 8 January 2023.

Joshi, Rita. “Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh.” World Literature Today, 2019, https://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/2019/autumn/gun-island-amitav-ghosh. Accessed 6 January 2023.

Here is a poem Generated by ChatGPT on Amitav Ghosh’s 2019 novel Gun Island.

Gun Island, a novel by Amitav Ghosh

Takes us on a journey, a tale to tell

Of myths and legends, of Deen's quest

To unravel the secrets, to put them to rest

Through Venice's canals and Bengal's storms

We follow Deen, as he transforms

From a rare book dealer to a seeker of truth

Uncovering the past, to face the youth

The Gun Merchant, a figure of lore

Deen's quest leads him to explore

The history of guns and their role

In shaping our world, a story to unfold

Climate change, a theme so real

Ghosh brings it to light, making us feel

The urgency of the issue, the impact on our land

A call to action, to take a stand

The characters, rich and diverse

Their journeys, emotional and diverse

A tapestry of cultures, a feast for the mind

Gun Island, a novel of a different kind

A thought-provoking read, with a pace that's slow

But the writing, masterful, the story, a flow

Gun Island, a novel to treasure

A journey worth taking, a literary pleasure.

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