In 1968, the entire population of Diego Garcia—one of the small islands forming the Chagos archipelago in the Indian Ocean—was forced on a boat headed to Mauritius. Charlesia is longing for life on Diego Garcia when she crosses paths with Désiré, a young man born on the one-way journey to Mauritius whom she educates about the home he never knew.
A product of many years, the result is a searing, meticulously detailed account of the deportation of the Chagossian people and their struggles in Mauritius ... One of Patel’s great strengths is her ability to infuse the novel with a cornucopia of details about Chagossian culture, without the text ever feeling laden, forced, or academic ... Patel takes her time...in gorgeous prose ... the dissemination of the Chagossians’ story is a crucial way of ensuring that the struggle lives on.
Dreamy and lyrical ... Patel’s compelling afterword adds a nonfiction precis that fills in many of the imagined narrative’s telling omissions ... Stateless yet forbidden to return to their island home, the Chagossians have given up on silence; Patel’s book bears witness to their struggle.
Patel’s intensive research (including Wikileaks) and interviews of the displaced shows in the narrative ... The novel’s nonlinear structure holds our interest. Highly recommended.
