Set in England and India, British writer Barrett's third novel, a melodramatic tale of a vendetta spanning several generations, is her debut on these shores. In 1857, arrogant Colonel Reginald Mills, enraged when his wife is killed in an anti-colonialist Indian riot, mistakenly blames one family in particular for her death. Jeweler Indrajit Rai and his son Jagat are both imprisoned; the family's house is ransacked by British troops; the father dies in jail; Jagat escapes and vows to avenge these outrages. The narrative next jumps to swinging mid-1960s London?evoked with lush nostalgia and steamy prose?where the colonel's great-grandson, Major Phillip Mills, an opportunistic lecher, woos sensible art teacher Jane Bennet while carrying on with his unstable, obsessively jealous mistress, Suzanna Harvey, who's married to a ruthless, murderous, ambitious homosexual politician. Phillip takes a post in India, where his bride, Jane, has an affair with Ramesh Rai, Oxford-educated scion of the wronged Indian family still seeking revenge. Jane dies giving birth to Ramesh's daughter, Indu, who is raised in England by her grandfather. Knowing she's half-Indian, but deceived about the manner of her parents' death and unaware of the oath of vengeance, Indu is lured back to India in 1989, where cryptic verses, hidden treasure and murderous thugs complicate the path to true love. Barrett is a more than competent writer who spins a brisk, involving but not terribly credible story.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Barrett makes her American debut in this novel of a vendetta that lasts more than 100 years and spans two continents. Begun during a brutal uprising in India when a British officer retaliates for the murder of his wife, the vendetta is resurrected in the 1960s when descendants of both families are brought together again by fate. Blind to everything but his hatred for the Mills family, Shiva Rai uses grandson Rami and Jane, the innocent wife of Phillip Mills, as weapons for his vengeance. Although he succeeds, he destroys Rami and Jane. A generation later, young Indu is endangered by these past hatreds, about which she knows nothing. She must search for the truth in order to save her life and end the vendetta forever. Although the characters in this novel are often two-dimensional and the ending seems rushed and confused, the story is entertaining and will appeal to fans of generational sagas. For large fiction collections.?Barbara E. Kemp, SUNY at Albany Libs.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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