The Tiger by the River

Author: Ravi Shankar EttethPublisher: Penguin/VikingYear: 2002Language: EnglishPages: 299ISBN/UPC (if available): 0670049387 DescriptionRich, seductive, and at times highly erotic, this spell bounding novel full of mystery, magic and wonder marks the debut of a singular new literary voice.Swati Varma is one of modern Delhi’s more blessed inhabitants. Then one brilliant morning, when the world seemed cleansed by the coming of the rains, the unthinkable happens: his pregnant wife is killed in a road accident. Devastated, Swati decided to make the pilgrimage back to the place of his birth, Panayur, in the state of Kerala, and scatter his beloved’s ashes in the sacred waters of the Papanasini river.Returning to this long-forgotten world, he is reunited with Antara, a childhood companion and now caretaker of the crumbling, ghost-filled palace that was his home. For Panayur –seemingly still free from the religious turmoil that threatens so much of the country –was once a kingdom, and Swat