Such a Long Journey

Faber FirstsSuch A Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry

Such A Long Journey by Rohinton MistryIn brief

Set in 1971, Such a Long Journey sees Gustard Noble, bank clerk, family man and devoted Parsi, struggling as his everyday life in Bombay starts to unravel: his daughter falls chronically ill, his son has a place at university but is refusing to accept it, and what seemed like an exciting offer from an old friend, Major Bilimoria, results in an inadvertent involvement in money laundering and terrorism. Before long, both his job and his family life are in jeopardy. Set against the backdrop of a city teeming with vibrant and diverse characters, the novel is also overshadowed by the looming Indo-Pakistan war. Setting the political upheaval of Indira Gandhi’s third term as Prime Minister alongside a Indian everyman’s heroic attempts to gain control over his life, Such a Long Journey combines the quotidian with the epic to splendid affect.

Faber Book Club: Such A Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry

Background

While written in the early 1990s, the events in Rohinton’s debut largely take place in 1971, a crucial time in India’s history and its evolution as an independent nation. Pakistan and India are about to go to war over Bangladesh, as a result of political conflict that had been brewing since Britain withdrew from the subcontinent in 1948. When the British left, Indian Muslims formed one state, Pakistan, and its Hindus largely remained in present-day India, despite its society being officially secular. Existing alongside this conflict are the Parsis, a small but devout religious minority. This melting pot of religious ideologies and political ideas was at a particularly turbulent point in the early 1970s, making it the ideal backdrop for a novel that will remain socio-politically relevant for years to come.

But Such a Long Journey is not a novel that shuns storytelling in favour of thematic concerns alone. There is a cast of local characters, humorous domestic detail and a real heart in the protagonist Gustard. As much time and attention has been lavished on creating a credible, energetic Bombay and inhabitants as on the intrigue that unfolds when Noble accepts Major Bilimoria’s request for help and the political thriller unfolds.

But it is Noble who carries the weight of the novel. As he tries to persuade his son Sohrab to make what he perceives to be the very best of his future, while desperately seeking a cure for his daughter Roshan, he must also navigate the emotional minefield of the death of his friend, his wife’s turning to black magic and the memories of his own youth that seem so pertinent now. Add to this the financial espionage in which he embroils himself, and there is much for the reader to digest.


For discussion

Mistry’s work has been compared to that of Salman Rushdie. Rushdie’s work features •scenes of magical realism, whereas Mistry’s concentrates on Realism. How do the authors achieve their differing styles. Do you have a preferred one?

Noble is not a conventional hero. Why do you think that Mistry chose an ‘everyman’ •like him? Is it effective?

Do you think that Noble’s actions are at all justifiable?•

The novel’s main protagonist has the surname ‘Noble’. Are there any other characters’ •names that could be interpreted as having particular significance?

Such a Long Journey has a large cast of supporting characters surrounding the main •action. How has Mistry characterised them as individuals? Do you think that this has worked, or do you feel that they simply function as representations of ideas?

What is their purpose in the narrative? Did this variety of characters add to your •enjoyment of the novel?

There is a blend of plotting, humour and tragedy in the novel – do you think that •these differing elements sit well together?

Mistry’s descriptions of urban life have been compared to Dickens’ of London by •some critics. Did you find his Bombay particularly engaging? What techniques has he used to describe the vibrancy of the city?

What do you consider the significance of the blackout paper to be in the context of •the novel?

Animals play a large part in the novel, from sparrows and crows to chickens and •cattle. What significance do they all have, or do you think that some are merely descriptive?

Do you think that the novel works as a political thriller, or that its root in domesticity •overshadow that element of the plot?

Mistry’s work has been accused of being ‘gloomy’. Do you feel that this is a fair •criticism? If so, do you consider this to be a negative description?

Have you read any other novels set during this period in India’s history, but from •differing political or religious perspectives? If, so what can you learn from comparing them? Has reading Such a Long Journey prompted you to read more?

The novel was shortlisted for the 1991 Man Booker Prize, alongside novels such as The •Famished Road by Ben Okri, Time’s Arrow by Martin Amis and The Van by Roddy Doyle. Looking back over these novels, can you tell that they were published the same year? Which do you think have stood the test of time the best, when compared with Such a Long Journey?


Resourceshttp://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth73

Author’s page on the British Council website

About the author

Rohinton Mistry was born in Bombay, India in 1952. He studied mathematics at the University of Bombay, graduating in 1974. A year later he emigrated to Canada with his wife, where he worked as a bank clerk in Toronto while studying English and Philosophy at the University of Toronto. Since he won the Annual Contributors’ Award from the Canadian Fiction Magazine and received a Canada Council Grant in 1985 he has been a full-time writer

His first published work as a collection of short stories, Tales from Firozsha Baag (1987), which was followed by Such a Long Journey in 1991. He is also the author of A Fine Balance (1996), Family Matters (2002) and The Scream (2008). His fiction has won, among other awards, the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book (twice), The Los Angeles Times Award, The Giller Prize, The Governor-General’s Award, and the Royal Society of Literature’s Winifred Holtby Award. In translation, his work has been published in over twenty-five languages.

Suggested further reading

Fiction

The White Tiger – Aravind Adiga Clear Light of Day – Anita Desai

Anil’s Ghost – Michael Ondaatje In A Free State – VS Naipal

The God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth

Non-FictionVirginia Woolf: The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by Peter Dally

The Age of Kali – William Dalrymple


Other books by Rohinton Mistry

Tales from Firozsha Baag (1987)A Fine Balance (1995)Family Matters (2002)The Scream (2008)


Documents

Such a Long Journey