The Narrator

The novel’s unnamed narrator was born in Calcutta, India in the early 1950s. In many ways, he is relatively insignificant in terms of the novel’s overall story, as he often acts more as an observer than as an active participant in the story. The novel is structured as a series of recollection recounted by the narrator. Some of these memories are comprised of events that the narrator observed firsthand, and some are events that were recounted to him by other people. The narrator is not as well traveled as many of the other characters, and so he always values an opportunity to go abroad, such as the occasions when he visits England.

The narrator has personal connections with most of the other characters in the novel. Many of the characters are part of the narrator’s extended family. For example, Tribid is his uncle, and...