The Day of the Scorpion

The second book in this series has proven to be just as layered as the first book, [bc:The Raj Quartet (1): The Jewel in the Crown 711772 The Raj Quartet (1) The Jewel in the Crown, The Day of the Scorpion Paul Scott https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320423071s/711772.jpg 698034] The Jewel in the Crown. The characters are so well developed and involving and I found myself “living” the novel in my head throughout reading it, a sure sign (to me) of a great book. About a quarter of this book is told through the interrogation of Hari Kumar, a character from the first book, and I thought it was a masterful example of using the perspectives of at least 3 different characters to play out the unknowns we were left with at the end of the first book. Much of the book feels like you're following a mystery, but you get to follow the lines of logic and conclusions from various characters' understandings, not from just one point of view. I'm so glad I was introduced to this series through the History Book Club on Goodreads. The author has created a portrait of India as it struggles to become independent; a fictional picture but so authentic and personal that I feel engaged in knowing and caring about India as a culture and a country today.