Robert M. (shotokanchef) reviewed on + 813 more book reviews
I thought that the first part was slow and rather uneventful. A Muslim doctor is apparently friendly to many Anglos. In it he exposes the kaleidoscope of an ethnic, racial, cultural, and religious society that was India in the early 1900s, the dominance of the Anglo culture and their attitude towards the native Indians. Beyond the Indian social caste of birthright and occupation, there is also one of religious caste. The second part brings the true Anglo-Indian relations to a head. When the doctor is falsely accused of assaulting an Anglo woman, they turn tail and show their true colors. They rally round the (British) flag so to speak. All of the underlying bias and superiority of the British is exposed. Through this the doctor retains only one Anglo friend; however, the ordeal and the trial have strained their relationship. In part three, we see that all personal and cultural relationships have been unalterable strained.
