The Unyielding Clamor of the Night

Fiction & Literature, Literary
Cover of the book The Unyielding Clamor of the Night by Neil Bissoondath, Bloomsbury Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Neil Bissoondath ISBN: 9781596919716
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Publication: December 8, 2008
Imprint: Bloomsbury USA Language: English
Author: Neil Bissoondath
ISBN: 9781596919716
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication: December 8, 2008
Imprint: Bloomsbury USA
Language: English

A mesmerizing novel about the brutal and lasting effects of poverty and violence.

Arun, a young man of privileged background, leaves his home in the prosperous north of his Southeast Asian island nation to teach in the devastated south, where a civil war between the military and rebel insurgents profoundly affects daily life. Idealistic and driven by a need to give meaning to his life, Arun relinquishes the trappings of wealth to dedicate himself to improving the lot of the "2 percenters," as the country's southern population is called. Over the course of several months he befriends some of the local people-Jaisaram, the local butcher, and his daughter Anjani, who reads to her father from romance novels; Kumarsingh, a "go-getting" entrepreneur; Seth, an American-trained army captain stationed at the local base; and various pupils.

In Omeara, however, nothing is as it seems; everyone has secrets and truth is elusive. At the village school, attendance is meager and irregular. The only students who attend are those who, damaged by the conflict, are incapable of working in the fields. Surrounded by poverty and the constant threat of violence, Arun's optimism is eventually depleted and frustration with educating the village's schoolchildren overwhelms him. When violence finally touches him personally, he is forced to confront basic truths about his friends, his family, his country and, most wrenchingly, himself.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A mesmerizing novel about the brutal and lasting effects of poverty and violence.

Arun, a young man of privileged background, leaves his home in the prosperous north of his Southeast Asian island nation to teach in the devastated south, where a civil war between the military and rebel insurgents profoundly affects daily life. Idealistic and driven by a need to give meaning to his life, Arun relinquishes the trappings of wealth to dedicate himself to improving the lot of the "2 percenters," as the country's southern population is called. Over the course of several months he befriends some of the local people-Jaisaram, the local butcher, and his daughter Anjani, who reads to her father from romance novels; Kumarsingh, a "go-getting" entrepreneur; Seth, an American-trained army captain stationed at the local base; and various pupils.

In Omeara, however, nothing is as it seems; everyone has secrets and truth is elusive. At the village school, attendance is meager and irregular. The only students who attend are those who, damaged by the conflict, are incapable of working in the fields. Surrounded by poverty and the constant threat of violence, Arun's optimism is eventually depleted and frustration with educating the village's schoolchildren overwhelms him. When violence finally touches him personally, he is forced to confront basic truths about his friends, his family, his country and, most wrenchingly, himself.

More books from Bloomsbury Publishing

Cover of the book Pandora Gets Vain by Neil Bissoondath
Cover of the book Not Born Digital by Neil Bissoondath
Cover of the book Every Man in His Humour by Neil Bissoondath
Cover of the book Home Chat by Neil Bissoondath
Cover of the book The Constitution of South Africa by Neil Bissoondath
Cover of the book The History of Philosophical and Formal Logic by Neil Bissoondath
Cover of the book At The Inland Sea by Neil Bissoondath
Cover of the book Jaguar by Neil Bissoondath
Cover of the book Evidential Reasoning in Archaeology by Neil Bissoondath
Cover of the book Television's Marquee Moon by Neil Bissoondath
Cover of the book Euripides: Cyclops by Neil Bissoondath
Cover of the book Don't Make Me Cross! by Neil Bissoondath
Cover of the book The Northern Ireland Troubles by Neil Bissoondath
Cover of the book The Defence of Calais by Neil Bissoondath
Cover of the book Sarah Kane's Blasted by Neil Bissoondath
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy