THE EAST INDIAN by Brinda Charry imagines the story of the first East Indian man to arrive in Colonial America. Inspired by a real historical figure, a Tamil boy from the Coromandel Coast finds his way to London via the British East India Company, and then to Jamestown, Virginia.

I really enjoyed this historical fiction and it provided a different perspective of slavery and enslaved peoples in the United States. A very unique imagining of what Tony's life could have been like and an interesting exploration of the relationships across and between racial divides, especially for Tony who wasn't sure how he fit in amongst the Indigenous, Black and white people in Virginia.

This is a refreshing, historical adventure. It reads quite quickly, and kept me engaged and rooting for the main character, Tony. I haven't read a lot of books set in the mid-1600s USA, so this was quite new for me. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

As posted on GoodReads

This is such a wonderful historical fiction book — it has classic vibes, IMO.

Part adventure, part coming-of-age story The East Indian is an imagined tale about the true events of the first South Asian man to land in the English colony of Virginia in the 1630s.

We follow Tony as he journeys as an 11-year-old from India's Coromandel Coast to the streets of London, and then is kidnapped and sent to Jamestown Virginia, where he worked as an indentured servant on a tobacco plantation with a whole cast of characters —some friends and fellow outcasts and others firmly rooted in bigotry and cruelty.

Despite his loneliness and the treatment he receives as a result of being so visibly different, Tony's sensitivity, curiosity and resilience allow him to grow and reinvent himself over the years —from a laborer to adventurer and finally a physician's apprentice.

The book has a lot to say about many things, some still (unfortunately) relevant today: the building of walls — then to keep the Indians out of their own land --, to globalization and its effects. Plus colonialism, "the English also took tea, coffee, chocolate, and sugar. How they ate the entire world...and hungered for more."

I loved how Charry's writing perfectly captures the world of 1660's Virginia — from the landscape to the fear, ignorance and ridiculous superstitions and beliefs that people held at the time; the fever and sickness, the herbs and potions Tony and the doctor used to treat the sick. Learning about the world of indentured servants as America was just beginning to descend into slavery. This was a portion of history that I wasn't all too familiar with and found the story to be expertly researched and told with so much heart.

Such an incredible debut. Bravo. Can't wait to read what Charry writes next. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @SimonSchusterCa for the #gifted e-copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Brinda Charry was inspired to write this story by the Indians who arrived in the US in the 1600s as either servants of East India Company officials, sailors, or as indentured servants. These people arrived in America from London to be used as cheap labour for Virginia landowners. There actually was a "Tony" mentioned in records, who was purchased by George Menefie under the headright system, where for each "head", the owner was granted fifty acres of land.

The Tony in this story began his life in India, the beloved son of a lower caste courtesan, who, after her and his grandparents’ sudden deaths, found himself on his way to England, thanks to his mother’s regular customer, a British factor with the East India company.

Tony had wanted to become an herbalist/medicine man like his father. Instead of being able to secure an apprenticeship, he ended up working the docks, dreaming of a way to return to his beloved homeland. Unfortunately, Tony was kidnapped and sent to Virginia as an indentured servant for a tobacco farmer. He was labelled as an "East Indian" to distinguish him from the Indigenous, and worked alongside various former Africans, also indentured, and befriended a few of them. The work was hard, and Tony also suffered at the hands of a cruel overseer, who plagued his life for years, even after Tony eventually gained an apprenticeship with a physician.


Brinda Charry examines the early beginnings of the transportation of unwilling people to toil on American soil. She also shows the classism at work amongst the labourers: how those hailing from lands colonized by the British saw themselves as superior to others. She shows a certain similar attitude amongst Blacks born in America through one of her characters, an American Black woman who feels herself superior to those from Africa. Charry also shows, unsurprisingly, how wealth, skin colour and culture played vital roles in the lives of the Virginians around Tony, allowing those in power to comfortably discriminate and harm those around them.

The story is also about repeated reinvention, as exemplified by how many times Tony had to change masters and the type of work he did, and adjust his dreams and hopes with each new obstacle thrown in his way. He proves to be a compelling character to follow as he grows up, suffers, but does also find some kindness, and even love, along the way.

And though Tony seems to find some peace and happiness by the end, Charry leaves one to ponder how little has changed since the 1600s.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Simon & Shuster Canada for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm sure this book is a five star read for some historical fiction lovers, but unfortunately, it was not for me. I stopped reading at 18% because I had no idea what was going on, and I think I was still in the first chapter - at most, the second (long chapters are overwhelming!).

This book features Tony, a boy from East India who is sent to Virginia to work for the Virginia Company. I did not gather much else from what I read, but the book blurb mentions it being based on a true story, so that could be interesting!

I'm giving this 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. I had a tough time with this one, because it's a really interesting coming-of-age story, set in a time period that we don't often see in fiction, but the plot, characters, and setting just didn't draw me in the way I hoped. The story moves quite slowly, and I don't think the linear structure served this novel well. Charry's prose is lovely, but the plot meandered and I found the MC, Tony, to be rather flat. Despite living a remarkable life and encountering much hardship, I just couldn't connect to him—he felt sympathetic, but distant. Although this was an interesting and thoroughly-researched glimpse into the early colonization of America and the foundations of the Atlantic slave trade, the story just didn't resonate with me as deeply as I expected it to.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Brinda Charry for the ARC.

“...I was so sure of my purpose that I did not contemplate the possibility of another destiny. How could I have? How can one imagine a future in a place that one does not even know exists?”

The East Indian by Brinda Charry is an epic odyssey which, along the way, confronts identity, purpose and potential.

Tony, as he comes to be known, is born in Armagaon in East India, in the 17th century. He grows up worshiping his mother but does not know his father. Beginning with the men his mother brings into his life, Tony realizes immediately that one encounter can open up a new pathway in life. When Tony is kidnapped and brought to what will come to be known as Virginia, he is exposed to racism, colourism, cruelty, friendship and opportunity as he is pushed into a life of servitude. With each new relationship, each new connection, Tony is constantly faced with the potential for the new roads his life could take, while also not having the ability to choose.

Tony’s story is incredibly fascinating and one of many lives lived, speaking to the different phases of life we all experience in one way or another and how the people we are surrounded by define that. Every part of his experience is impacted by his racial identity and how others see him. As one of the few East Indians in the States, he is often either lumped in with other non-Europeans and experiences prejudices that seem to have always existed.

While the novel can be slow-moving at times, I loved the character of Tony and his story is beautifully written. He is sensitive, kind, and curious. The book is most successful when it moves briskly along and doesn't overexplain. What I came to appreciate as the book went on was its similar themes to The Odyssey or Cold Mountain, but through a lens of identity, purpose and promise.

I really enjoyed this debut novel by author Brinda Charry. The writing is exquisite and the research is extensive. Charry explores a period of American history I’d never heard of before. Inspired by a real life historical figure, Tony is the first known man from India’s Coromandel Coast to journey to Virginia. Charry’s protagonist Tony reminded me so much of Esi Edugyan’s character Washington Black. Both involuntarily venture on a harrowing journey and meet an eclectic mix of characters along the way.
As an indentured servant, America is not a welcome place. He is seen as an outsider. Not white, not black and confused for the Native Americans that inhabit the land. Heartwarming moments surround him through interactions with new friends, and challenges abound through the moving of households. He is curious and eager to learn a trade, and its a fascinating transformation in seeing him apprentice to be a healer/doctor. He has hope for the future!
As expected there are traumatic and at times painful moments in this new land. Tony is a quiet, confident character who has a great deal of compassion in a world that is unkind. I couldn’t stop turning the pages to find out his fate. I liked the references to A Midsummer’s Nights Dream, and how Tony’s life mirrored the play with its “oddities and hijinks, humour and tragedy.” This is great historical fiction and a beautiful coming of age novel.
Not to be missed!
4/5



*many thanks to @netgalley, @simonandschusterca, and the author for the advance copy of #theeastindian in exchange for an honest review.