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‘The scenes read with a sensual freshness
as if they were happening now’ -
‘Ghosh's novel is a tense, compelling account... puts the reader so firmly in the time and place that the whole thing becomes as hypnotic as an opium dream’
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‘For those who like to see history bought alive… a marvellous read’
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‘A glorious babel of a novel ... marvellously
inventive ... utterly involving’ -
‘Ripping post-colonial yarn ... Ghosh spins a fine story
with a quite irresistible flow, breathing exuberant life
... an absorbing vision’ -
‘Each scene is boldly drawn, but it is the sheer
energy and verve of Amitav Ghosh's storytelling
that binds this ambitious medley’
The Ibis Trilogy, set during the opium trade of the early nineteenth century, is a voyage through epic power struggles between East and West—a complex history that continues to resonate throughout the world. The third book of the trilogy is set to be published in 2014.
Sea of Poppies, was published in 2008 and shortlisted for the Man Booker Award. Set in 1838 amidst the valuable and potent poppy fields, it brings together a truly diverse and international cast of sailors and stowaways, coolies and convicts, who, each for his or her own reason, board the Ibis, an old slaving-ship, which sails into the Indian Ocean at the end of the book. The book is a story of people brought together in spite of their differences, starting an unlikely diaspora, which will span continents, races and generations.
The trilogy continues with River of Smoke. In September 1838, The Ibis and many other ships have been caught in a powerful storm in the Indian Ocean. On the grand scale of an historical epic, the novel follows its storm-tossed characters to the crowded harbours of China where, despite the best efforts of the Emperor to stop them, ships from Europe and India exchange their cargoes of opium for boxes of tea, silk, porcelain and silver. As transporting and mesmerizing as an opiate induced dream, Sea of Poppies and River of Smoke have already been hailed as 'one of the masterpieces of twenty-first century literature'.
River of Smoke Character List
- Bahram Modi - Parsi Merchant from Bombay and father of Ah Fat
- Chi Mei - A Cantonese Boat woman who is the lover of Bahram Modi
- Ah Fat - Son of Bahram Modi and Chi Mei
- Neel - Munshi of Bahram Modi
- Vico - Bahram Modi’s Purser
- Zadig Bey - Armenian Watch maker and friend of Bahram Modi
- Fitcher Penrose - A Scottish Botanist on an expedition to collect rare plants in China
- Paulette Lambert - Daughter of a French Botanist who accompanies Mr. Fitcher on his expedition
- Robert Chinnery - Artist, Paulette’s friend and son of George Chinnery
- Commissioner Lin - The incorruptible Chinese Mandarin who is appointed by the Emperor of China to put an end to opium trading
River of Smoke Reading Guide
Brimming with the spectacular coincidences, startling reversals of fortune, and tender love stories that make Amitav Ghosh an enchanting storyteller, River of Smoke is also a meditation on today’s headlines, from the blind pursuit of wealth to the far-reaching tragedies of the drug trade. We hope the following guide will enrich your discussion of this timely masterwork.
Praise for River of Smoke
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“On one level, [River of Smoke] is a remarkable feat of research, bringing alive the hybrid customs of food and dress and the competing philosophies of the period with intimate precision; on another it is a subversive act of empathy, viewing a whole panorama of world history from the ‘wrong’ end of the telescope. The real trick, though, is that it is also fabulously entertaining.”
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“Eloquent . . . Fascinating . . . [River of Smoke’s] strength lies in how thoroughly Ghosh fills out his research with his novelistic fantasy, seduced by each new situation that presents itself and each new character, so that at their best the scenes read with a sensual freshness as if they were happening now.”
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“[This] vast book has a Dickensian sweep of characters, high- and low-life intermingling . . . Ghosh conjures up a thrilling sense of place.”
Amitav Ghosh
