Martin Sherman

This is a classic tale by E.M. Forster about the clash of cultures in British India after the turn of the century. This book is one series of misunderstandings after another that ironically convey the feelings of people in these places at the time. The most dramatic misunderstanding of the book leads to a very harsh and dynamic climax that leads readers to really understand the repercussions of what was happening in India at the turn of the century.

At first I found E.M. Forster’s writing style to be very different and it took me some time to get used to the way he writes. I don’t think I can accurately describe how he does it but his topics are so to the point but still portray so much meaning and depth. Once I got used to this style, I found this book to be beautifully written and crafted with the perfect balance of humor and irony plus times of complete sadness, anger and despair. Similarly, the cast of characters in the book are all rich from the enlightening Dr. Aziz, and the naïve Adela Quested to the characters that display the most humanity: Mrs. Moore, Mr. Fielding and Professor Godbole. I can understand perfectly why this book is considered to be one of the important reads of the 20th century as it gives readers a very clear and dramatic picture of what India must have been like during British occupation.

Even though E.M. Forster claims that one can never understand India or describe what it is really like, I felt like I was able to get a very accurate portrayal through the eyes of all of the characters in this book as they all see aspects of the land, times and the native people differently.… (mer)