Released: 4th May 2017
Genre: Historical, Crime, Non-Fiction
Number of Pages: 384
Having long been a follower of crime fiction, Abir Mukherjee has made use of his family heritage from India to provide a new context for the genre. His first release: “A Rising Man” is a real standout; boasting a detailed crime drama matched by a near-impeccable recreation of its setting and time period.
Taking place in 1919 in British-ruled Calcutta, police captain Sam Wyndham is tasked with solving a grisly murder, that of a senior official to the empire; with a note stuffed in the victim’s mouth warning the British to leave India. With his resident partner Sergeant Banerjee in tow, we’re treated to a winding tale of investigating, action and societal upheaval which could erupt into widespread violence at any moment. It takes place from Sam’s perspective with a dose of wry British wit and sarcasm to keep things moving briskly, kicking off on the victim’s discovery and following the captain’s exploits closely from beginning to end.
A lot of what makes A Rising Man so engaging is Sam Wyndham himself; he’s an ordinary man with emotional baggage, having gone through both trench warfare in the First World War and the loss of his partner Sarah back in England; the first couple of chapters succinctly tell us a great deal about the protagonist, getting the reader invested in his life, occupation and primary investigation. Then you have the murder mystery itself; without giving anything away, it’s loaded with intrigue and the tensions that started to build between the British Empire and the Indian populous are played off each other throughout. Imperialistic rule plays a key role in both the plot and the way characters are defined, often generated some very well-realised tension between them. In addition, the story also wisely ducks many clichés associated with the genre with its distinctive divide between the British colonisers and the local natives underpinning the proceedings.
The setting of Calcutta itself is the book’s second major strength; it drips with a humid, tropical atmosphere as Mukherjee often sets the scene by vividly describing the weather around the city alongside other activities happening in the background; it’s an incredibly absorbing approach to the novel that ensures you won’t ever be taken out of it. There’s also a brilliant attention to detail in its historical context; as the stability of the British Empire is slowly eroding, the feeling of discontent throughout the city that weighs down on both the police and military can be clearly felt. All around, the author keeps the viewer firmly engaged in the narrative and the level of detail seen in “A Rising Man” sets a very high bar for realism and authenticity.
Recommended?
YES: For his debut in fiction writing, Abir Mukherjee has crafted a vivid and sublime crime drama that fully pulls you into 20th Century India; it’s an immersive novel with plenty of attention to detail and on top of that, the story is intriguing and incredibly well-paced. It makes full use of the time and context to drive Wyndham’s investigation along. With all these elements brilliantly established in this first novel, I’m really looking forward to reading the next two entries in the series.
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