Review: Latitudes of Longing

Title: Latitudes of Longing

Author: Shubhangi Swarup

Publisher: 12th May 2020 by Hachette Australia/Quercus

Pages: 320 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: fiction, contemporary

My Rating: 2.5 cups

Synopsis:

A sweeping, lyrical debut about the love and longing between humanity and the earth itself, by a major new literary talent from India

A spellbinding work of literature, Latitudes of Longing follows the interconnected lives of characters searching for true intimacy. The novel sweeps across India, from an island, to a valley, a city, and a snow desert to tell a love story of epic proportions. We follow a scientist who studies trees and a clairvoyant who speaks to them; a geologist working to end futile wars over a glacier; octogenarian lovers; a mother struggling to free her revolutionary son; a yeti who seeks human companionship; a turtle who transforms first into a boat and then a woman; and the ghost of an evaporated ocean as restless as the continents. Binding them all together is a vision of life as vast as the universe itself.

A young writer awarded one of the most prestigious prizes in India for this novel, Shubhangi Swarup is a storyteller of extraordinary talent and insight. Richly imaginative and wryly perceptive, Latitudes of Longing offers a soaring view of humanity: our beauty and ugliness, our capacity to harm and love each other, and our mysterious and sacred relationship with nature.

My Thoughts

This is an interesting book. A series of four connected stories that take the reader on a journey through Asia,  geographically covering areas from India to Pakistan to name but two. Latitudes of Longing is full of lyrical writing and imagery. The characters are secondary inclusions when compared to the rich descriptions of the locales they live in. 

‘The life of an equal couple in the latitudes of longing and the longitudes of trepidation has hitherto been a rare, undocumented phenomenon—like a whale giving birth in Antarctica or white elephants mating in south Asia.’

The book begins quite strong but as it proceeds it slows down and becomes repetitive. If you relish writing about natural environments you will love this book. The descriptive language used is mind blowing as it sweeps you away across land and sea. However, for myself, it became too much - too many metaphors, similes and alliterations. It would make great poetry but not a story in its current form. This is unfortunate as the author clearly has a lot of talent and a definite way with words. With guidance the magical use of language could be channeled to provide a balance with the story itself. 

‘She moves around in her cotton sari like leaves rustling in the breeze. She breathes as imperceptibly as a tree, sucking in all the room’s air and spilling it back, fragrant. Like a bird, her gaze is intense, unblinking. With a single nod, it shifts from the metallic blue eyes of a fly perched on her wrist to an Andaman padauk trunk toppling somewhere on the archipelago, to a pod of dolphins entering the bay.’

Latitudes of Longing has much to offer as a lyrical dedication to the natural environment. A slow journey with much to ponder that many will love. Sadly, I struggled with it overall. 

‘The evening will come to an end. The only way to recapture it will be to travel along with the sun, experiencing the sunset again and again in the topographies of different longitudes and latitudes...’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.