I’m quite stunned after reading this rollercoaster of a book. It’s action-packed, well-paced, and spans across 60-ish years. The characters are fleshed out well. There’s also ample emotion bubbling under the fast-moving story. Whether it’s Abbas’ devotion to his craft, Jehanna’s industriousness, Lucien’s yearning, or Rum’s preferences, every character has been explored beautifully. Set in the late 1700s in India, UK, and France, Loot also expertly deals with the themes of colonialism and racism. And despite all of this, the text is delightfully taut. Such a masterful book!

I also want to share one of my favourite lines in the book, credited to Ambalavaner Sivanandan, a British-Sri Lankan activist:

“We’re here because you were there.”

Loot also mentions Zeb-un-Nissa, a Sufi poet who (it seems like) should be getting more attention!