The Home and the World

Set on a Bengali noble's estate in 1908 this is both a love story and a novel of political awakening. The central character Bimala is torn between the duties owed to her husband Nikhil and the demands made on her by the radical leader Sandip. Her attempts to resolve the irreconciliable pressures of the home and world reflect the conflict in India itself and the tragic outcome foreshadows the unrest that accompanied Partition in 1947.