The English Problem by Beena KamlaniMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This past fall I visited Hyderabad, India, for my daughter’s wedding. That, naturally, got me wanting to read books set in Hyderabad. My search led me to Beena Kamlani’s debut novel, The English Problem. It is an absorbing book about a young man from Hyderabad Sind in the period leading up to the British withdrawal from India. Turns out that is not the Hyderabad I went to, which is in Telangana state. Hyderabad Sind is in present-day Pakistan, which helps explain some of the intensity of the political situation at the time, and a few geographical references that didn’t make sense until I realized I’d confused the two places. Hyderabad Sind was a predominately Hindu area in what – with partition and the bloodbath that led to – became the Muslim-majority country of Pakistan. Despite my error over the geography, reading this book was a wonderful “mistake.”
Shiv Advani’s well-connected lawyer father hosts Gandhi during a visit to Hyderabad in the early 1920s. The ten-year-old boy’s eager intelligence impresses Gandhi, who follows his progress from afar and ultimately urges the family to send him to London in 1931, at age 18, to study law and cultivate a network of influential Brits who are sympathetic to the cause of Indian independence. During his years in London, Shiv faces both the joys of discovering an exciting new world and the frustrations of being looked down upon because, no matter what he does, he’ll never be fully accepted by the British. He also faces the guilt of being simultaneously attracted to London (and certain Londoners) yet knowing that his role is ultimately to leave Britian and to help his country overthrow British rule.
Beena Kamlani writes with beauty and empathy that rivals the best of seasoned novelists. Shiv is a complicated character, torn between the two worlds and the competing demands of commitment to a radical cause and commitment to those he loves. Many of the secondary characters are as skillfully drawn as Shiv, with nuanced and complex motivations of their own.
There were times when the book’s momentum lagged, so for some readers this 480-page novel will be too much. But if you like to get immersed for the long-haul and see a side of the fight for independence that we haven’t seen elsewhere, I’d definitely recommend it.
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