Title: No Merchant-Ivory writing here...
Product review: at least not in the usual sense. The Merchant-Ivory team, which made movies like Remains Of The Day, used to make movies about India. Jhabvala, of course, has written all of the team's movies, and a fair helping of fiction as well. This dates back to the early days of Merchant-Ivory (1973).Two of the titular travelers are westerners who have come to India, one for apparently no reason other than to relax, and one to experience enlightment. They are offset by two Indians. The paths of all four quickly intertwine.This is a book about two things. On the one hand, it's a meticulous character study. On the other hand, it's all about westerners interfering with other cultures. It's a time capsule look at what the Beatles wrought in the wake of their visit to India. It's engrossing, well-written (simple and straighforward, no flowery metaphors), and, to a certain extent, it's history.
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