By all accounts, the book is going to be the mother of all epics, including A Suitable Boy. And no wonder: by picking the life of his great-uncle Shanti and his German wife, Henny, Seth has secured for himself a canvas spanning world history from 1908 (the year Shanti and Henny were born) to 1998 when Shanti died. He’s leaving nothing out: the Raj, the freedom struggle, post-Independence India, the rise of the Third Reich, World War II, post-war Germany (with Henny’s friends going as far as Shanghai, South Africa and California), the Holocaust, the formation of Israel and Palestine, British politics, economics and society from the ’30s to now. And as if that were not enough, Seth is apparently going to tackle an intimidating list of isms—imperialism, Nazism, anti-Semitism, liberalism, conservatism, socialism, humanism, communism, totalitarianism, terrorism, racism.... Phew!
Publishers are outdoing each other in their race to grab the big-bucks-books. UK publisher Hodder set up a dedicated website to woo comedian and chat-show host Graham Norton. A semi-clad (male) Hodder sales executive visited his studio and delivered the web address and password on a red velvet cushion. "Entering the site, Norton was able to enjoy videos of Hodder staff proclaiming their love for him," according to The Guardian. They got the book.
