Whose War Is It?

     Yes,  "whose war is it?" is the question that drives Amitav Ghosh' novel The Glass Palace.  It's a long book, 474 pages, covering a long period of history from pre-WW I until 1996 and long on characters.  It is crammed with information that at times makes it feel more like an essay than a novel.  However, everything revolves around the dilemma faced by Indians during British Colonial rule; how should they behave during WW II.  As subjects of Britain is it their duty to fight for Britain against the Axis?  Or, is this the moment and opportunity to throw off their colonial masters?
    There are several answers to this question played out in the responses of various characters living their lives in Burma, Malaysia and India, all of which, were colonies of Great Britain.   The vehicle of a novel allows the author to give the reader insight into the multifaceted dilemma people faced and the pain they endured when there only were terrible choices.
    The book is at its most engaging when the Japanese invasion of  Malaysia and Burma, during WW II, provokes a crisis when everyone must decide how to respond.  The sweep of  the book allows readers to discover the effects of each individual's decision.  It is not always a "page turner" but the breath of information and the delineation of the existential crisis each person faced makes it well worth reading.
    Two novels by Tan Twan Eng, both set in Malaysia during WW II,  The Gift of Rain and Garden of the Evening Mists are good companion books to The Glass Palace.  There are parallels as Tan Twan Eng wrestles with the relationship of Malaysian citizens, one of whom is half Chinese and half English, to Japanese during the occupation.  Eng's book have less information but his style makes for scintillating reading.
   Personally I'm very glad to have read all three and The Gift Of Rain remains in my "top 20" of all times.