2008-09-06 A well written, informative book.

I picked this up because I wanted to know more about India and Pakistan in particular, not being very knowledgable on the subject. I bought it on a whim and I'm very glad I did.

On the positive: This is a brilliantly written work, the author is both a journalist and a novelist and it shows. The prose is fluid and a joy to read. Thge author is very well informed with regard to India. The chapters on Indian politics, Hindu nationalism and Bollywood are by turns funny, moving and informative. The author interviews many 'ordinary' people and low-level politicians, such that one gets a very real sense of how people live their lives and the everyday struggles they face. At it's best this book demystifies the 'Orient'. In particular, one comes to see that India is not some strange, foreign land, but a very real place, not nearly so different from the West as I had presumed in my ignorance. The author has a very good sense of both 'East' and 'West' and displays his knowledge with skill, to the benefit of the reader.

Negatives: Some of the chapters are perhaps a little too long, and such they tend to drag a little. Once the author leaves his native India, the chapters become a little unfocused. While still well written, they tend to meander and it's difficult to see what point he's trying to make. The chapter on Pakistan only briefly discusses that nation and instead focuses on Afghanistan, which is disappointing and confusing, as the following chapter is solely dedicated to Afghanistan. Also the chapter on Tibet seemed rather fleeting and shallow, as though it were tacked on to fill up the rest of the book.

That said this book is well worth reading and very informative for someone who, like myself, doesn't have much knowledge 'India, Pakistan and Beyond'. It contains all the historical and political facts one might wish to know about the countries involved, whilst never straying too far from how the various strands of history, politics, religion and ecomomics affect everyday people and their lives. A well written, informative and genuinely moving piece of work.