The Folded Earth: A Novel [Paperback]

Anuradha Roy (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 24, 2012

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2011 MAN ASIAN LITERARY PRIZE

SHORTLISTED FOR THE HINDU LITERARY PRIZE FOR BEST FICTION 2011

WITH HER DEBUT NOVEL, An Atlas of Impossible Longing, Anuradha Roy’s exquisite storytelling instantly won readers’ hearts around the world, and the novel was named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post and The Seattle Times.

Now, Roy has returned with another masterpiece that is already earning international prize attention, an evocative and deeply moving tale of a young woman making a new life for herself amid the foothills of the Himalaya. Desperate to leave a private tragedy behind, Maya abandons herself to the rhythms of the little village, where people coexist peacefully with nature. But all is not as it seems, and she soon learns that no refuge is remote enough to keep out the modern world. When power-hungry politicians threaten her beloved mountain community, Maya finds herself caught between the life she left behind and the new home she is determined to protect.

Elegiac, witty, and profound by turns, and with a tender love story at its core, The Folded Earth brims with the same genius and love of language that made An Atlas of Impossible Longing an international success and confirms Anuradha Roy as a major new literary talent.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Winner of The Economist Crossword Fiction Award 2011

"How does a writer compete against the media's invasion of public discourse in all its chattering, hectoring, commercially packaged format. One way could be by creating a small, inviolable space in which to observe and record all the subterranean upheavals to create those moments of clarity that we value as literature. The small diamond that we have unearthed and enjoyed is called The Folded Earth." (The Economist Crossword Fiction Award Committee)

International Praise for The Folded Earth:

“[Roy’s] narrative is poised and her language precise and poetic, without being flamboyant . . . a story about love and hate, continuity and change, loss and grief in a convincing and memorable setting.”

—The Independent

“Anuradha’s ability to seamlessly place the private lives of her characters within a larger socio-political setting is what she carries into her second book [as well] . . . at the end of The Folded Earth you feel a firm belief in the redemptive qualities of life and love.” (Elle)

“A gently perceptive story, half comic and half poignant, of a woman’s struggle to forget her sorrows in new surroundings.”

—The Sunday Times

“Tight with life. . . .Roy’s attention to individual words pays off as she conveys the full texture of experiences. . . . Even minor characters are evoked with inventive idiosyncrasy.” (Daily Mail)

"The Folded Earth is pure pleasure, that old fashioned sort of novel in which one can immerse oneself; an absolute treat."

—Business World

“Eminently readable, a literary novel that feels timeless and authentic.” (DNA)

“Roy has an admirably restrained style and her novel offers a vivid evocation of North India. She conjures up striking images with the lightest of touches.”

—The Tatler

"A jewel of a story." (The Deccan Herald)

“[A] deeply unsettling but beautiful novel . . . utterly enrapturing. . . . As always, Roy’s writing remains gently poignant and metaphoric throughout, every vignette and scenario she constructs feels multilayered and deeply meaningful.”

—For Books' Sake

“A perfect treat . . . Roy brings her characters vividly and amusingly to life.” (Country and Town House Magazine)

“There is a gentle perfection to the way Roy writes. . . . A beautiful love story. . . . about people who love and long—impossibly?—and love again.”

—The Hindu

“Anuradha Roy’s second novel demands that the reader pause, slow down, savour this work. . . . I hear echoes of Anita Brookner and Edna O’Brien and other writers like them as Roy brings Maya and her travails to life.” (Biblio)

“A book you will hold close to your heart long after the last page is turned.” —First City Magazine

Praise for An Atlas of Impossible Longing by Anuradha Roy:

“Every once in a great while, a novel comes along to remind you why you rummage through shelves in the first place. . . . [A]s you slip into the book’s pages, you sense you are entering a singular creation. . . . And then, suddenly, you are swept away. . . . This, you think, is the feeling you had as you read Great Expectations or Sophie's Choice or The Kite Runner. This is why you read fiction at all.” (The Washington Post)

“Roy’s prose does not hit a single wrong note: its restrained beauty sings off the page.” —Neel Mukherjee, Time Magazine

About the Author

Anuradha Roy is the author of An Atlas of Impossible Longing, which has been published in sixteen countries and named by World Literature Today as one of the sixty most essential books on modern India. She lives in India.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; Original edition (April 24, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9781451633337
• ISBN-13: 978-1451633337
• ASIN: 1451633335
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #228,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anuradha Roy won the Economist Crossword Prize for Fiction for her novel, The Folded Earth, which was nominated for several other prizes including the Man Asia.

Her first novel, An Atlas of Impossible Longing, has been translated into 15 languages across the world. It was named by World Literature Today as one of the 60 most essential books on modern India and was shortlisted for the Crossword Prize. She won the Picador-Outlook Non-Fiction Prize in 2004.

Anuradha Roy's journalism and book reviews have been published in Outlook, India Today, Outlook Traveller, National Geographic Traveller, Biblio, Telegraph, Indian Express, and the Hindu. She works as a designer at Permanent Black, an independent press which she runs with her husband, Rukun Advani. She lives in India.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Eloquent and beautiful! April 29, 2012

By E.R.G.

Format:Paperback

After losing her husband in a dramatic mountaineering accident, a young widow decides she must move close to the mountains he loved and trekked. She thinks she has found the ideal hideout, a small village in the folds of the Himalayas, and her life regains some sense of balance. But when her landlord's nephew comes back to town after a long absence, the young widow suddenly realizes that with him has come the upheaval she so desperately wanted to escape.

Anuradha Roy's second novel, The Folded Earth, compels readers to stay up late at night and try to finish "just one more chapter." Roy's exquisite prose will draw readers in one word at a time, one sentence at a time, and her eloquence offers rich characterizations and deep landscape descriptions. Her story will not disappoint either and goes toe to toe with Roy's usage of language, giving readers what they so deserve: a fantastic book to enjoy many times over.

The protagonist, Maya, marries the love of her life, crossing all of the boundaries set by society, religion, and caste. Her father instantly disowns her, but Maya and her husband, Michael, begin their life together in Hyderabad (in the south of India) in bliss. As a mountaineering guide, Michael often goes on long expeditions to the statuesque mountains sitting on India's northern border, and when he doesn't come home from his final, fatal, expedition Maya knows she must go there herself to be as close to Michael's spirit as possible.

She relocates to the small village of Ranikhet, and slowly she makes a place for herself with the long-time residents. Her landlord, Diwan Sahib, remembers India before the Partition and Independence; Ama, her next-door tenant, alternates between raising her granddaughter, Charu, and raising eyebrows with the local gossip. Even Miss Wilson, the principal of St. Hilda's School, where Maya's repeated failures as a teacher exasperate the strict principal--Maya even begins to consider Miss Wilson a permanent fixture in her life after spending six years in her new home.

One day Diwan Sahib's nephew, Veer, returns after an extended absence from Ranikhet, and Maya finds herself drawn to him. Her feelings unnerve her--her devotion to Michael's memory has not allowed her to consider allowing someone else into her life, until now. And Ama's constant reminders of the suspect qualities of Veer's personality, while an annoyance to Maya, still, nevertheless, nibble at the edges of her trust.

In addition to Veer's appearance, politics quickly becomes an integral part of Ranikhet's daily goings-on when a local boy decides to run for office to represent the region in the country's capital, New Delhi. But as the politicians move in and try to bully the villagers to make drastic changes to their beloved mountain hamlet, as Veer's sudden disappearances and reappearances bit by tiny bit cause Maya's trust to erode, the story winds down to a surprise ending that will make readers eyes pop and then make them cheer.

Roy's The Folded Earth will make readers feel like they're sinking into a hot bath at the end of a long day. Bit by bit as the boiling water envelopes, its soothing properties ease away the day's tension; one slides in deeper with a contented sigh, and slowly all of the day's elements float away in the steam. Likewise, The Folded Earth will coax readers away from their own lives and into the lives of Maya and the residents of Ranikhet, and Roy's fantastic ending contains all the shock value of rising from the now-cooled bath and into the stark space next to the tub.

I wholeheartedly recommend The Folded Earth for anyone who likes to read anything. It is the kind of book to read, recommend to others, and then read again.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Writing But a Slow Plot April 28, 2012

By SusieBookworm (Susanna P)

Format:Paperback

The first 100 or so pages of this started out as strong as "An Atlas of Impossible Longing," which I absolutely loved reading last year. I remember now why I love Anuradha Roy's writing so much - it comes off as enchanting and magical, and she says everything so eloquently and with occasional large words. I love how she interworks details from Indian history, archaeology, and culture with the main point of the story. But, unfortunately, I did not think that this book was anywhere near as fantastic as Roy's previous novel. The plot was very slow-paced, and if not for Roy's great writing, I would probably have been bored enough to struggle finishing the book. The storyline meandered, never truly reaching what was expected from reading the book's blurbs. I didn't feel like the story and characters were as well-developed as they could have been, and the overall plot seemed to be missing some cohesive element. I think, on the last page, I finally grasped SOME of the points Roy was trying to make with the novel. "The Folded Earth" is worth a read - Roy's writing is still wonderful and there are some interesting points to the book - but if you're choosing between it and "An Atlas of Impossible Longing," go with the latter!

Disclaimer: I received my copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful story of loss and love. May 9, 2012

By Book Him Danno

Format:Paperback

This book started out with a good flow but about the half-way point it slowed down. I had to push through the pages to pick the story up again and with that the flow increased. The lives of the people living in this remote area of India were interesting and diverse. The sadness and loss I felt in the beginning returned at the end. Such heartbreak and despair for one person seems unbearable.

The relationships Maya experienced in her life were varied and yet each left its mark on her personality and life. Friends, lovers, family, all of them made life difficult yet worth living. I could feel Maya's pain and loss. She is a character I may keep around awhile. The ending hit me hard and I have to say that I do not entirely disagree with Maya's decision. She had been wronged in so many ways by someone she thought loved her, one more wrong may just make a right. I wish the book had given me a better idea of where Maya went and how her life turned out.

I enjoyed this book more than I did this authors first work, Atlas of Impossible Longing. If you enjoy stories of life, loss, love and finding peace, I think you will like this book. If you enjoyed her first book then this is a must-read for you.