It is Bombay in 1971, the year India went to war over what was to become Bangladesh. A hard-working bank clerk, Gustad Noble is a devoted family man who gradually sees his modest life unravelling. His young daughter falls ill; his promising son defies his father’s ambitions for him. He is the one reasonable voice amidst the ongoing dramas of his neighbours. One day, he receives a letter from an old friend, asking him to help in what at first seems like an heroic mission. But he soon finds himself unwittingly drawn into a dangerous network of deception. Compassionate, and rich in details of character and place, this unforgettable novel charts the journey of a moral heart in a turbulent world of change.
WINNER
| 2011 Neustadt International Prize for Literature
FINALIST
| 1991 Booker Prize
Winner of the Governor General’s Award, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book, and the SmithBooks/Books in Canada First Novel Award
Finalist for the Booker Prize and the Trillium Book Award
“Mistry is a writer of considerable achievement. . . . Patiently and with loving humour, [he] develops a portrait and draws his people with such care and understanding that their trials become our tragedies.” —Time
“A seamless, gracefully written trek through a rocky period in one man’s life. . . . A rewarding literary excursion.” —Maclean’s
“This fine first novel demonstrates the bright-hard reality of India’s middle class. . . . Mistry is a singular pleasure to read, and his description of India is a lucid, living account.” —San Francisco Chronicle
“A passionate embracing of life in all its manifestations.” —Books in Canada
“A rich, humane work, undoubtedly one of the best novels about India in recent years.” —The Spectator (UK)
“The world of Such a Long Journey is vivid, lively, and comic—a rich and richly recreated setting.” —Winnipeg Free Press
“Fascinating. . . . Mistry manages to convey a vivid picture of India through sharp affectionate sketches of Indian family life and a gift for erotic satire.” —New York Times Book Review
“A highly poised and accomplished work.” —The Observer (UK)
“A feast of a novel that arcs from high comedy to deeply moving family portraits. Rohinton Mistry is a true literary mapmaker.” —Michael Ondaatje
“A narrative that rides the comic and the touching at once. . . . It is a brilliant first novel.” —The Guardian (UK)
“I can’t remember the last time I read a novel so charged with the sweetness and suspense of real life. . . . A great achievement.” —Michael Herr, author of Dispatches
It is Bombay in 1971, the year India went to war over what was to become Bangladesh. A hard-working bank clerk, Gustad Noble is a devoted family man who gradually sees his modest life unravelling. His young daughter falls ill; his promising son defies his father’s ambitions for him. He is the one reasonable voice amidst the ongoing dramas of his neighbours. One day, he receives a letter from an old friend, asking him to help in what at first seems like an heroic mission. But he soon finds himself unwittingly drawn into a dangerous network of deception. Compassionate, and rich in details of character and place, this unforgettable novel charts the journey of a moral heart in a turbulent world of change.
Awards
WINNER
| 2011 Neustadt International Prize for Literature
FINALIST
| 1991 Booker Prize
Praise
Winner of the Governor General’s Award, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book, and the SmithBooks/Books in Canada First Novel Award
Finalist for the Booker Prize and the Trillium Book Award
“Mistry is a writer of considerable achievement. . . . Patiently and with loving humour, [he] develops a portrait and draws his people with such care and understanding that their trials become our tragedies.” —Time
“A seamless, gracefully written trek through a rocky period in one man’s life. . . . A rewarding literary excursion.” —Maclean’s
“This fine first novel demonstrates the bright-hard reality of India’s middle class. . . . Mistry is a singular pleasure to read, and his description of India is a lucid, living account.” —San Francisco Chronicle
“A passionate embracing of life in all its manifestations.” —Books in Canada
“A rich, humane work, undoubtedly one of the best novels about India in recent years.” —The Spectator (UK)
“The world of Such a Long Journey is vivid, lively, and comic—a rich and richly recreated setting.” —Winnipeg Free Press
“Fascinating. . . . Mistry manages to convey a vivid picture of India through sharp affectionate sketches of Indian family life and a gift for erotic satire.” —New York Times Book Review
“A highly poised and accomplished work.” —The Observer (UK)
“A feast of a novel that arcs from high comedy to deeply moving family portraits. Rohinton Mistry is a true literary mapmaker.” —Michael Ondaatje
“A narrative that rides the comic and the touching at once. . . . It is a brilliant first novel.” —The Guardian (UK)
“I can’t remember the last time I read a novel so charged with the sweetness and suspense of real life. . . . A great achievement.” —Michael Herr, author of Dispatches
