Leela's Book by Alice Albinia

Fiction from Alice
If, for instance, I had read this book without knowing who had written it, I would be mocking its farfetched and giddy-headed plot. Inspired by a complicated story in the Mahabharata, it is strewn with ridiculously astonishing coincidences and overlaid with unlikely science fiction. I particularly disliked the bits where Lord Ganesha himself is the narrator and am frankly not sure whether this happened because of an insidious subliminal Brahmin prejudice at having a mlechha speak on his behalf (er His behalf) – or just annoyance at the mast-masaledar story being interrupted by boring mythological and egoistical asides.
However, I feel a loyalty to Alice Albinia. Her last book, Empires of the Indus, continues to be one of my best books ever and my interaction with her gave me the impression of an extremely smart, thoughtful, level-headed and sincere person.
With this bias, it’s only natural that I should admire the great effort and skill that went into weaving together all the intricate, authentic details and interesting theories that this very well written and engaging book has.
I’m also thinking about Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts and The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall, two books that show how well their authors, who lived in India during phases in their lives, “got it”. Alice Albinia got it just as well, better even, because there were times when I was reading when, if I had stopped to think about it, I would have been convinced that this had been written by an Indian journalist. The part, for example, where a respected rightwing crackpot is actually just a slimy little social climber. And then later when he responds to a moment’s impulse and commits a ghastly crime.
There are others.
On the other hand, though, an Indian journalist would know that Indian movies do not show bridegrooms carrying brides over a threshold – and perhaps also that the jury system was abolished in India circa 1960 after the dramatic Nanavati case.

For quite a while after I finished reading, I was thinking longingly of Urvashi, Raziya and other characters, missing them, wondering where they were and what they were doing now. So I suppose I did rather enjoy this book, even though the blurb on the cover "A wise and lovely novel", attributed to Amit Chaudhuri, had put me off terribly. Although “wise and lovely” could well be a good description of Alice Albinia herself, and possibly even of Amit Chaudhuri himself, I did think it ridiculous to use such inane and open-ended adjectives to describe this many-dimensioned book.
I had bought more than a dozen copies of Empires as presents for friends and family members because I'd enjoyed it so much. Leela's Book has powerful insights into Indian mythology and contemporary life in India. Still, I can't seem to think of anyone I want to get it for.