The Tiger by the River

by RaviShankarEtteth (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2003

  $18.11

  On returning to his birthplace of Panayur after the death of his wife and unborn child, Swati begins a journey that will take him back through the history of his family, the kings of Panayur, to the legend that lies at its heart.

• Used

  Paperback
  2003

  $6.66

  Wealthy, content and devoted to his wife Nina, Swati is one of modern Delhi's more blessed inhabitants. But when Nina and their unborn child are killed in a road accident, his world, his hopes and dreams collapse around him. Devastated and in mourning, he leaves the city and makes the pilgrimage back to his birthplace, the small southern Indian state of Panayur, to honour his beloved and scatter her ashes on the sacred waters of the Papanasisi river. Having returned to this isolated, rural world, Swati finds solace in a long lost companion from his youth, Antara, who acts as unofficial caretaker to the decaying palace that was home to Swati's forebears. Together, they begin to delve into his family history, and the myths and legends that surround it. And so Swati learns that Panayur was once a kingdom, and that he is the direct descendant of the last of its kings. He learns about his many strange and bloodthirsty ancestors, about the first European invaders who came nearly 400 years ago, and he is reminded of the family legend of the tiger by the river...While on the other side of the world, a cousin Swati never knew he had embarks on his own quest to learn something of his past. His pursuit of his destiny takes him from the USA to Berlin and a tragic family secret, and then on to India, and to Panayur and the novel's powerful, shocking climax. With its singular narrative voice and seductive rhythms, 'The Tiger By The River' is that rare thing: a spellbinding novel full of drama, mystery and magic - a tale of unbearable loss but also of the redemptive power of love.