The Siege of Krishnapur - JG Farrell

Published by Penguin Books Ltd.: Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England, 1975.
First published 1973.

Like the previous book I read (Three Men in a Boat) this book also 'is what it says on the tin.' The Siege of Krishnapur is set in the (fictional) village of Krishnapur during the Indian mutiny of 1857. One of the British residents, known as 'The Collector', has been worrying that something like this may occur and has fortified his property and the surrounds with mud walls and other defensive elements. When the mutiny finally strikes Krishnapur, the British population retreat into this area and must defend against wave after wave of Indian attack.

The book focusses almost entirely on the British element of the story, with Indian characters playing very minor roles. This might be a sign of the times in which Farrell was writing, however as with his other (retroactively awarded) Booker prize-winning work Troubles, Farrell has a very subtle edge of almost satirical humour weaved into the story, and I wonder if this absolute focus on the English contingent also provides a commentary on the British belief in their 'superiority' - particularly in the moments when those beliefs are challenged. As the siege drags on characters lose their edge of respectability, being forced to eat horses or beetles to survive and at times needing to throw the dead to the dogs rather than having the energy or time to bury them. There is petty infighting between the two doctors in the compound over how best to treat cholera, which ends in tragedy for one of them. And social politics comes into play as well, with one 'fallen woman' from the village struggling to be accepted by the rest of the group no matter the circumstances.

For a Booker book this is relatively clean too! No explicit moments aside from the occasional death. No use of foul language. It is a little suggestive in patches but even then it is not the main focus. Mostly its just heavy, based on the topic, although even this is tempered by Farrell's mildly humorous commentary.

Not the best book I've read recently, but one of the better Booker books all the same.

Completed 9 March 2023.



(Bookerworm)

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