The Elephanta Suite by Paul Theroux

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Henry James took on the subject of Americans in Europe. Theroux, the master travel writer, turns his eye to Americans in India in this trilogy of novellas about tourists overwhelmed and transformed by their sojourns. All settle into the lulling comfort of Indian sanctuary — a spa, a luxury hotel, an ashram — only to be drawn out of it by their conflicting desires. Theroux offers delicious observations, particularly on the rifts between language — the Indians' use of dusty British terms like "jocundity", for example. But running through this elegant triptych is the suggestion that Indian writers are unable to depict their own country truthfully. As a corrective, Theroux plays up the grimmer aspects — and if the author's misanthropy wasn't enough, wait till you get to the sex scenes.

Synopsis by Foyles.co.uk

This fabulous, far-reaching book breathtakingly captures the tumult, ambition, hardship and serenity that mark modern India. Theroux's characters risk venturing far beyond its well-worn paths to discover woe or truth or peace. A holidaying middle-aged couple veer heedlessly from idyll to chaos. A buttoned-up Boston lawyer finds relief in Mumbai's reeking slums. A young woman befriends an elephant in Bangalore. We also meet Indian characters as distinctive as they are indicative of their country's subtle ironies: an executive who yearns to become a holy beggar, an earnest young striver whose personality is transformed by acquiring an American accent, a miracle-working guru, and more. "The Elephanta Suite" urges us towards a fresh, compelling, and often inspiring notion of India and its effect on those who try to lose - or find - themselves there.