This is an interesting book. A series of four connected stories that take the reader on a journey through Asia, geographically covering areas from India to Pakistan to name but two. Latitudes of Longing is full of lyrical writing and imagery. The characters are secondary inclusions when compared to the rich descriptions of the locales they live in.

‘The life of an equal couple in the latitudes of longing and the longitudes of trepidation has hitherto been a rare, undocumented phenomenon—like a whale giving birth in Antarctica or white elephants mating in south Asia.’

The book begins quite strong but as it proceeds it slows down and becomes repetitive. If you relish writing about natural environments you will love this book. The descriptive language used is mind blowing as it sweeps you away across land and sea. However, for myself, it became too much - too many metaphors, similes and alliterations. It would make great poetry but not a story in its current form. This is unfortunate as the author clearly has a lot of talent and a definite way with words. With guidance the magical use of language could be channeled to provide a balance with the story itself.

‘She moves around in her cotton sari like leaves rustling in the breeze. She breathes as imperceptibly as a tree, sucking in all the room’s air and spilling it back, fragrant. Like a bird, her gaze is intense, unblinking. With a single nod, it shifts from the metallic blue eyes of a fly perched on her wrist to an Andaman padauk trunk toppling somewhere on the archipelago, to a pod of dolphins entering the bay.’

Latitudes of Longing has much to offer as a lyrical dedication to the natural environment. A slow journey with much to ponder that many will love. Sadly, I struggled with it overall.

‘The evening will come to an end. The only way to recapture it will be to travel along with the sun, experiencing the sunset again and again in the topographies of different longitudes and latitudes..’




This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Latitudes of Longing tells a multigenerational story where the lives of the characters are interconnected with each other, and interwoven with different landscapes of the Indian subcontinent. The novel starts in the Andaman Islands with Girija Prasad and Chanda Devi, his clairvoyant wife, and then moves to Burma with Mary and her convicted son Plato; to Nepal with Thapa and Bebo and finally we arrive in the “snow desert”, with Apo and Ghazala in a lost village in the no-man’s-land between India and Pakistan. Each story describes a different type of longing and desire of intimacy affecting the characters; yet room is given for more abstract feelings and considerations where the surrounding landscapes are more than just a mere background. The descriptions of the different locations, particularly the Andaman Islands and the Karakoram glaciers, are gorgeous and lyrical. Permeated by magical realism, the novel is however characterized by an extremely slow pace and is quite uneventful except for a couple of major events, making it hard for the readers to maintain their focus and interest.

You ever come across a book that is so good that you can't help but keep reading, but it is that good that you try really hard to read it super slowly because you don't want it to end? This is one of those books.

It is beautifully written, the prose is absolutely stunning and the characters are complex and realistic. This is a multi-generational story that spans different times and places amongst the Indian subcontinent. From the humidity of the Andaman Islands to the glaciers of the Himalayas, Swarup describes all of these places so vividly and lyrically I was constantly blown away. I cannot decide whether I liked reading about the characters or the landscape more as both were done with such care and beauty.

If you're a very plot orientated reader you might find this slow, but if you are a character-driven reader that loves beautiful prose and literary fiction with some light fantasy/mythology sort of vibes you have got to check this book out! Coming out soon from Hachette Australia and Quercus in the UK.