The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Ghosh, Amitav. Gun Island. Penguin Random House, 2019.

Ghosh’s novel is divided into two parts, depicting the life of a rare books dealer living in Brooklyn, New York, prior to and following his journey of self-discovery at the hands of the ancient legend of the Gun Merchant. Deen, the novel’s first-person narrator, begins his journey in his home town of Calcutta, India.

During a trip home to visit his family, Deen is provoked to visit the ancient shrine of Manasa Devi, a Goddess of snakes, for the purpose of documenting it before it disappears. While there, his companion, Tipu, is bitten by a King Cobra and develops a gift of visions resulting from this bite. Upon his arrival back in Brooklyn, Deen begins to feel as though he has been possessed by the shrine as well.

While undergoing an existential crisis, Deen is invited to help with a documentary in Venice, Italy. He openly accepts the invitation, but upon his arrival, he begins to feel as though he is remembering memories embedded in his mind by the Gun Merchant. He begins to retrace the journey that the Gun Merchant would have taken through Venice decades prior.

Meanwhile, Tipu has undertaken an immigration journey from India to Venice, by way of Egypt, while being guided by his visions. It is revealed that this is the same route that had been previously taken by the Gun Merchant in his legend. In Egypt, a tornado strikes the connection house where Tipu’s group of refugees is being held, releasing them and enabling them to overthrow their captors. Led by a tall Ethiopian woman, they embark upon a Blue Boat with the destination of Italy.

The Blue Boat’s voyage toward Sicily creates an uproar amongst right-leaning politicians and their supporters. A blockade is created in order to thwart their passage into Europe. The Italian Navy is called upon to defuse the situation and awaits their arrival. The Italian Minister swears that barring a miracle, the Blue Boat’s inhabitants are not to set foot on Italian soil.

Deen hears of the Blue Boat and Tipu’s presence upon it, deciding to meet up with it with a well-meaning group of immigration advocates. Upon their arrival at the final destination of the Blue Boat, they are met with opposition. Along their voyage, a marine biologist amongst them takes notice of the unnatural convergence of dolphins and whales that seem to be following their boat.

Upon the Blue Boat’s arrival, a strange display of dolphins and whales occurs in the sea surrounding them while millions of birds converge above their heads. Directly following this event, the Admiral declares safe passage for the Blue Boat into the Sicilian port. Despite being named a traitor by anti-immigration advocates, the Admiral stands by his actions. He states that he followed the Minister’s directions, as what they witnessed could not be claimed as anything but miraculous.