Set in early 1970's New York and rural India, the story of an unlikely romance, the lasting horrors of the Second World War, and an examination of one man's search for forgiveness and acceptance.
Compassionate in its telling ... Chakrabarti explores his flawed, bewildered characters’ fine-grained emotional shifts when confronted with confusing, violent political movements ... A Play for the End of the World meditates on conundrums of agency that, unfortunately, are still relevant to artists and writers. Can art truly matter in a time of intense upheaval and turmoil over the failures and force of a government? ... [The novel] seems to ask us: Are you struggling in this moment? And it answers, here, let me help you bear this.
Chakrabarti’s novel is realistic and tentative and breathtakingly poignant, with a payoff that’s more than worth the trip if you have the heart to withstand it.
Chakrabarti’s absorbing debut is an ode to art, friendship, and love ... Chakrabarti’s characters are sharply drawn and alluring, and Jaryk’s survivor’s guilt is palpable. At its heart this is a love story, and literary readers not used to cheering for a happy ending may find themselves doing just that.
