Children of Decay by Gopi Bain is typical of Literary fiction in that it’s a story for the purpose of exploring our humanness. Set on a river islet with a decaying tree prophecy and a disreputable ruling family, the expectation of a fantasy tale didn’t materialise. Rather, its purpose was to raise multiple issues, such as urbanisation, materialism, pollution, human nature and cultural identity, in order to make you think. The narrative was somewhat laborious at times and the characters muddling, making for an overall humdrum two stars read rating. Overall, this book may not suit readers seeking a more escapist enjoyment, failing to absorb the reader into it, as the best literature, irrespective of genre does. With thanks to Gopi Bain (the author), for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

This was an enjoyable read. Folk tales, myths, and heartbreaking tales of the land. First time reading this author, definitely won't be my last.

I had to dnf this around page 11. I really did enjoy the writing, but unfortunately I don’t think the story was for me. Don’t let this dnf review discourage you from trying to read Children of Decay.

A prophecy involving a decaying tree and the ruling family’s disrepute, a setting on a river islet, a cast of interesting characters, and a whiff of spirituality and societal issues, what a fantastic combination!

The title and book cover opened up my imagination to all sorts of possibilities, and I was not disappointed. There was a good lead up into what the prophecy would reveal. Would it help or shame the rulers?

In the meantime, we hear the folklore laced in history. Bishnu, a local fisherboy knows all the stories. Are there supernatural entities roaming the foggy swamps? Are they messing with the humans? Or are the humans messing with things they should leave alone? Bishnu chaperones the city-dweller protagonist around the local haunts, introducing him to an outcast flute-maker, and to a childhood friend of the ruling family on the islet. The pair are invited to The Gathering (the prophecy reveal) as guests tasked with the responsibility of keeping the rebellious youngster (of the rulers) under control. Good luck with that…

By not naming the protagonist, the reader feels as though they are the “city dweller” granted access to the hidden world of another culture. In this role, we can witness the effects of power, religion, quasi-religion, spirituality, ownership, and the fighting spirit of the people. Kudos to Bain.

We also get to experience some dysfunctional family drama (of the rulers). The kind of drama where you don’t know why the family are speaking so openly about each other’s jit but you can’t leave in case you miss something juicy ;).

The writing was so beautiful that on the odd occasion where you were hoping for things to move forward, you were kept entranced in the language of the land and water. Speaking of language, we were treated with some really cool new Bangla words that I’d doubt have succinct translations in english. I was desparately looking up maps at every mention of a place to see where this was set, however it remains untold. Bain fortunately acknowledged the people of the Bangladeshi villages so I am going to have to be content to visualise this as Bangladesh.

The only lingering qualm was that the protagonist lacked motivation for being so involved in the story. The prestige of being from the city as a reason for inviting him into personal family conflict conversations was not fully explained.

At some points I felt that this was in the same calibre as one of my favourite books, The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh. A fantastic debut novel.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I gave this one a shot as I do most books, but I couldn't really get into it too much. I like the idea of the story and how it incorporates traditional practices with murder mystery and thriller parts but, for some reason, I couldn't really get into it. I had to stop at around page 60 as I just couldn't continue on.