The Last of Earth by Deepa Anappara

 

Summary (from the publisher): From the award-winning author of Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line comes a stunning historical novel set in nineteenth-century Tibet that follows two outsiders—an Indian schoolteacher spying for the British Empire and an English “lady” explorer—as they venture into a forbidden kingdom.

1869. Tibet is closed to Europeans, an infuriating obstruction for the rapidly expanding British Empire. In response, Britain begins training Indians—permitted to cross borders that white men may not—to undertake illicit, dangerous surveying expeditions into Tibet.

Balram is one such surveyor-spy, an Indian schoolteacher who, for several years, has worked for the British, often alongside his dearest friend, Gyan. But Gyan went missing on his last expedition and is rumored to be imprisoned within Tibet. Desperate to rescue his friend, Balram agrees to guide an English captain on a foolhardy mission: After years of paying others to do the exploring, the captain, disguised as a monk, wants to personally chart a river that runs through southern Tibet. Their path will cross fatefully with that of another Westerner in disguise, fifty-year-old Katherine. Denied a fellowship in the all-male Royal Geographical Society in London, she intends to be the first European woman to reach Lhasa.

As Balram and Katherine make their way into Tibet, they will face storms and bandits, snow leopards and soldiers, fevers and frostbite. What’s more, they will have to battle their own doubts, ambitions, grief, and pasts in order to survive the treacherous landscape.

A polyphonic novel about the various ways humans try to leave a mark on the world—from the enduring nature of family and friendship to the egomania and obsessions of the colonial enterprise—The Last of Earth confirms Deepa Anappara as one of our greatest and most ambitious storytellers.

Review: Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this novel. 

Set in Tibet in 1869, this novel follows two outsiders who are trying to cross the border into Tibet. One is Balram, an Indian schoolteacher who has worked for years alongside his childhood friend Gyan to lead British on illicit, surveying expeditions in Tibet. But Gyan went missing on his last trip and Gyan is desperate to try to find him. The other is Katherine, a 50-year-old Western lady who wants to be the first European woman to travel to Lhasa. On their separate journeys, the two face numerous obstacles including bandits, illness, snow leopards, and the illicit nature of their journeys. 

This was slow-moving but an incredibly illuminating historical fiction. This novel absolutely transports you to Tibet. This has rich descriptions of the terrain, physical struggles, diet, and hardships faced by the characters during this journey. I absolutely learned a lot about this place during this time period. 

That said, I was disappointed in the much of the story itself. This is a deep character study of Balram and Katherine and the reader learns a lot of deeply personal truths about both of them. This is a story about secret ambitions, agendas, and sexual desires. But there was almost no connection between the two storylines, and I struggled to accept why these two individuals would be the focus of the dual perspectives featured. 

I also struggled with the character of Cheetak, a man who constantly meanders in and out of both Katherine and Balram's journeys and almost seems mythical, an apparition sent to be both menace and hero in their lives. His constant disappearances and reappearances seemed to be the main connection between the two travelers. 

Stars: 3