tThis book, published in 1973, focuses on four people who meet in India. A young woman named Lee and Raymond are British, both searching for different things. Lee is looking for meaning in her life but Raymond’s quest is uncertain, more of not knowing what he wants but will recognize it when he sees it. The other two are natives of India; Asha is an aging beautiful woman wanting someone to adore her and the other a young man named Gopi, a middle-class college student who is just hanging around and enjoying pleasures wherever he can find them.tThe four meet a swami, a religious teacher who proclaims himself a holy man who’s anything but that. It’s hard to feel any sympathy for Lee who falls under the swami’s spell in a punishing sexual relationship. Asha has designs on Gopi but it’s not clear whether she desires him as a lover or a son. Raymond forms some kind of loving friendship with Gopi as well, one that has strong homoerotic themes but is not consummated. Gopi instead has a passing fling with Lee but clearly likes girls and seems happy having a good time without any strings attached.tThe four protagonists seem to meander around the country to one place or another, complaining about the crowded trains, the heat, the wind, and dust in the air. I kept reading, hoping for some dramatic event, but it never happened. On balance, this book can be summarized as four characters searching for a plot.
This book captured some of the mystical experiences of everyday life while traveling in India. It tells of four young characters, two English, two Indian, who meet and travel in search of themselves. None seems particularly happy with their situation. A guru is involved in the story, and he is evil. The theme of the story seems to be that the timeless land is more powerful than those that pass over it. I liked the way each character seemed to have a distinct voice. Same author screen played "A Room with a View" and wrote Out of India.
What do You think about Travelers (1999)?
Yet another brief review, since I'm trying to get through my huge "to-review" list. Also I kind of figure not many people are going to read this book anyway, since I see it only has like 50 ratings on here, soooo yeah.I read this for a fiction-writing class focused on point of view; and it was interesting to study in terms of thinking about perspective. The narrative is mostly in third person, switching primarily between four central characters. It also occasionally switches over to first person. I found the switches kind of irritating, but I did think the idea of it was intriguing.The story takes place in India, and two of the protagonists are Indians while the other two are English and American. The concept of how each of them interprets life in India, and of how all of them are either literal or figurative "travelers" is compelling. However, I didn't feel much of a connection to any of these characters. While I'm intrigued by how the author connects their lives, I found the writing a bit dry and emotionless, and that took away from the book for me. In other words, I liked the concept of the book but I felt alienated from the story and characters. Maybe this was the intention, but over all it made the book somewhat forgettable for me.
—Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!*
