Atlas of Impossible Nostalgia

Author Name: Anuradha Roy

This Indian novel has been translated into sixteen international languages. It is a creative portrayal of a local culture in which the ancient past blends with the present, which cannot be undone and cannot escape the cycle of deadly nostalgia: Amulya, who migrates from his city to Sungara in search of a livelihood and to escape a haunting past; his wife, Kanapala, who has become estranged from her family; and their son, Nirmal, who is madly in love with his country's ancient history. The events span three generations, and nostalgia for love remains a dominant element: the disastrous love between Nirmal and Shanti; the tragic love between Mrs. Barnum and her lover; and the love between Nirmal's daughter and the orphan boy, Mukunda, of unknown origin. It is a novel of impossible nostalgia, a nostalgia ground down by time, custom, human baseness, and exploitation. It is a novel about India's political history, filled with violent upheavals, great hopes, and bitter disappointments. It is a novel about lost nature, migration, isolation, and love.