The Zigzag Way: A Novel
By Anita Desai
5/5
()
About this ebook
A young American in Mexico discovers his family’s past—and a present-day danger—in this “elegant, exquisite” novel of suspense (Elle).
Eric is a newly minted historian just out of graduate school, plagued by self-doubt over both his past choices and his future options. With no clear direction, he follows his lover, Em, when she travels to the Yucatan for her scientific research, but ends up alone in this foreign place. And so he pursues his own private quest, tracing his family’s history to a Mexican ghost town, where, a hundred years earlier, young Cornish miners—among them Eric’s grandparents—toiled to the death.
Now, in place of the Cornish workers, the native Huichol Indians suffer the cruelty of the mines. When he inquires into their lives, Eric provokes the ire of their self-appointed savior, Dona Vera. Known as the “Queen of the Sierra,” Dona Vera is the widow of a mining baron who has dedicated her fortune to preserving the Huichol culture. But her formidable presence belies a dubious past.
The zigzag paths of these characters converge on the Day of the Dead, bringing together past and present in a moment of powerful epiphany. Haunting and atmospheric, with splashes of exuberant color and darker violence, The Zigzag Way is “a beautifully rendered combination of history, folklore, and modern fiction” (Entertainment Weekly), from a Booker Prize finalist.
“Long before Jhumpa Lahiri . . . long before Monica Ali . . . another novelist was offering us exquisitely detailed portraits of bodies in transit [and] classes in the art of sly and sensuous fiction . . . Anita Desai was a global, migrant writer before such a thing was fashionable.” —Time
“Almost unbearably suspenseful.” —The Boston Globe
“A hypnotic journey.” —San Jose Mercury News
Anita Desai
ANITA DESAI is the author of Fasting, Feasting, The Art of Disappearance, The Zig Zag Way, Clear Light of Day, and Diamond Dust, among other works. Three of her books have been shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Desai was born and educated in India and now lives in the New York City area.
Read more from Anita Desai
Clear Light of Day: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fasting, Feasting: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Artist of Disappearance: Three Novellas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDiamond Dust: Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Museum of Final Journeys: A Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Translator Translated: A Novella Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
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The Zigzag Way - Anita Desai
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