On Love and Race

I finally ended my disappointing book streak! I don’t remember exactly where I heard about this book but a month or so ago I asked our acquisitions librarian to purchase The Splendor of Silence by Indu Sundaresan. As soon as I picked it up, I just could not put it down. One tiny fact about me before I really get in to reviewing this book: I love books about India. I am a junkie for books about India. I don’t know what it is, but India is a country that has always captured my imagination in a special way. I’m sure this colors my opinion about The Splendor of Silence somewhat.

The Splendor of Silence tells the story of Sam, a young U.S. Army captain serving in Burma during World War II. He receives word from his mother that his younger brother, serving in India, has been reported missing and is presumed to be AWOL. Certain that this is untrue and determined to find his brother, Sam goes to India for a short leave. In India he is confronted with the realities of racism when he falls in love with an Indian woman. The woman, Mila, is the daughter of the political agent and a relatively high class member of society. Nevertheless, an interracial relationship is totally unacceptable, in the eyes of both British and Indian people.

This love story is a big part of the plot and serves to illustrate the larger points about India on the verge of Independence. The author also makes a number of interesting comments about race relations in America at the same time. Sam often makes comments about the inequalities in India but, as is constantly pointed out, America at that time was full of the same kinds of inequalities. I really, really enjoyed this book. The story was gripping, the writing was lovely, and the characters were realistically flawed. I definitely recommend this one.