Historical novels are the most difficult genre, requiring both the rigor of the scholar and the imagination of the fabulist. In The East Indian: A Novel (HarperCollins India), author Brinda Charry has done the former perfectly, but played it safe with the latter. Nonetheless, she has produced an interesting and worthwhile—if not spectacular—book. The “hook” […]

Historical novels are the most difficult genre, requiring both the rigor of the scholar and the imagination of the fabulist. In The East Indian: A Novel (HarperCollins India), author Brinda Charry has done the former perfectly, but played it safe with the latter. Nonetheless, she has produced an interesting and worthwhile—if not spectacular—book. The “hook” […]