The Assassin's Song

M.G. Vassanji

Mar 2009 · Sold by Vintage

About this ebook

In the aftermath of the brutal violence that gripped western India in 2002, Karsan Dargawalla, heir to Pirbaag – the shrine of a mysterious, medieval sufi – begins to tell the story of his family. His tale opens in the 1960s: young Karsan is next in line after his father to assume lordship of the shrine, but he longs to be “just ordinary.” Despite his father's pleas, Karsan leaves home behind for Harvard, and, eventually, marriage and a career. Not until tragedy strikes, both in Karsan's adopted home in Canada and in Pirbaag, is he drawn back across thirty years of separation and silence to discover what, if anything, is left for him in India.

Ratings and reviews

This book was recommended to me by a friend. On my own, I wouldn't have chosen this "type" of story, but I'm glad for it. It is a captivating introspection on the meaning of spirituality, and the search for destiny in a world of vast history, multicultural influence and conflict. While I disagree with the implication of the last sentence (no spoilers here, and you shouldn't peek!), this story is a deeply meaningful read.

About the author

M. G. Vassanji was born in Kenya and raised in Tanzania. Before coming to Canada in 1978, he attended M.I.T. and the University of Pennsylvania, and later was writer in residence at the International Writing Program of the University of Iowa. Vassanji is the author of four acclaimed novels: The Gunny Sack, which won a regional Commonwealth Prize; No New Land; The Book of Secrets, which won the very first Giller Prize; and Amriika. He lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.