Indian Country
A Novel
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Indian Country
Narrated by:
Neil Shah
Buy Now for $26.99
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Narrated by:
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Neil Shah
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By:
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Shobha Rao
About this listen
Janavi and Sagar were never meant to end up married. Janavi is a wonderfully independent, young modern Indian woman. She works for an organizaiton in India that helps street children, often lost to the world of human trafficking. Sagar is a trained hydraulic engineer, an expert in dam construction. He is the least favorite son, his parents never able to forgive him for an unspeakable act from his past. Sagar seeks refuge in his daydreams of one day finding hidden treasures in the fabled Indian river, the Ganges.
Yet the two are forced together into an arranged marriage which neither of them wants. Even worse, Sagar has already accepted a job in America, in a strange place called Montana, where he will be in charge of dismantling a dam.
Montana upends all their expectations. Sagar's white colleagues do not welcome him with open arms, and Janavi finds herself unable to forgive her sister who stayed behind in India whose betrayal led her to this marriage and this strange place.
When a colleague of Sagar's is found drowned, Sagar is the obvious scapegoat. But is this death one in a long history of people of color paying the price for the white man's arrogance and expansionism?
Just like the Ganges river that dominates Sagar's dreams, thoughout the novel runs short historical stories of settlers who conquered, both the west and India, who form the foundation upon which Sagar and Janavi stand.
A bold, ambitious, stunningly beautiful yet brutal novel about colonialism and the rippling ramifications still felt today, Indian Country is a tour de force modern-day classic.
Critic Reviews
“Rao’s prose is so controlled it feels as if she’s drawing a masterly bow across violin strings. . . . Indian Country invites multiple readings to unlock its structure and logic, but it rewards its readers with alluring opportunities for darshan. The potential to glimpse divinity—even to contemplate a returned gaze—is worth the challenge.”—The New York Times Book Review
“If I have one critique, it’s the ending. I longed for another hundred pages to stay with these characters.”—Mishika, co-founder of Brown Girl Bookshelf
“[Indian Country] admirably undoes the conventions of the assimilation novel . . . A lyrical and propulsive story that makes the most of its double-edged title.”—Kirkus Review, starred review
“A triumph of plotting, pacing, and powerfully drawn characters that raises complex questions of morality, guilt, and salvation.”—Booklist, starred review
“Rao exhibits stunningly controlled prose throughout the book. Each sentence, particularly those in the historical vignettes, is exquisitely composed for maximum impact . . . [T]he violent history of colonialism to ongoing issues, like the disappearance and murder of Native women, to the bonds of sisterhood and the unpredictability of romantic relationships, opportunities to explore this richly hued novel feel as endless and expansive as the Montana horizon and as timeless as an ancient river.”—Bookreporter
Previous Praise for Shobha Rao
“Incandescent . . . A searing portrait of what feminism looks like in much of the world.”―Vogue
“Rao is a capable and confident writer, able to handle a vast and ambitious story line.”―The New York Times Book Review
“Skillfully rendered. . . . What’s most memorable about the novel, however, is the unadulterated, feminist voice.”―San Francisco Chronicle
“Unforgettable.”―Lit Hub
“Searing.”―The Chicago Review of Books
“Burns with intensity . . . [Rao] is clearly a writer of great ambition.”―USA Today
“If I have one critique, it’s the ending. I longed for another hundred pages to stay with these characters.”—Mishika, co-founder of Brown Girl Bookshelf
“[Indian Country] admirably undoes the conventions of the assimilation novel . . . A lyrical and propulsive story that makes the most of its double-edged title.”—Kirkus Review, starred review
“A triumph of plotting, pacing, and powerfully drawn characters that raises complex questions of morality, guilt, and salvation.”—Booklist, starred review
“Rao exhibits stunningly controlled prose throughout the book. Each sentence, particularly those in the historical vignettes, is exquisitely composed for maximum impact . . . [T]he violent history of colonialism to ongoing issues, like the disappearance and murder of Native women, to the bonds of sisterhood and the unpredictability of romantic relationships, opportunities to explore this richly hued novel feel as endless and expansive as the Montana horizon and as timeless as an ancient river.”—Bookreporter
Previous Praise for Shobha Rao
“Incandescent . . . A searing portrait of what feminism looks like in much of the world.”―Vogue
“Rao is a capable and confident writer, able to handle a vast and ambitious story line.”―The New York Times Book Review
“Skillfully rendered. . . . What’s most memorable about the novel, however, is the unadulterated, feminist voice.”―San Francisco Chronicle
“Unforgettable.”―Lit Hub
“Searing.”―The Chicago Review of Books
“Burns with intensity . . . [Rao] is clearly a writer of great ambition.”―USA Today
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