At first, Tomb of Sand caught me completely off guard. I expected something like magical realism but by the time I reached Part II, everything clicked into place.
The story centers around Chandraprabha Devi, affectionately known as Ma, an octogenarian woman drowning in grief after the death of her husband. In Part I, she seems surrounded by the love of children, relatives, and friends who constantly try to lift her spirits. But then, suddenly, Ma disappears. Her vanishing throws everyone into a spiral of sympathy and worry. When she’s found, nothing about her is the same again.
Part II is where Ma’s life takes a dramatic turn, and we see her forging new connections, particularly with her children, Bade and Beti, who’ve long been defined by their own roles and struggles. One of the most unforgettable characters is Rosie Bua, Ma’s hijra friend, who bursts into the story with wit, warmth, and a mysterious sense of urgency. She briefly steals the spotlight only to leave behind a lingering sadness when her life ends too soon. I couldn’t help but wonder about the deep story of their friendship.
Then comes Part III, the most powerful and moving section of all. Ma’s decision to cross the border with her daughter, Beti, is more than a physical journey. It’s an emotional and symbolic act of healing. The novel subtly delves into the complex history between India and Pakistan. But this isn’t a dry historical retelling. It’s intimate and raw, seen through Ma’s own trauma and memory.
This is exactly why Tomb of Sand deserves the Booker Prize. It takes on weighty themes such as grief, identity, aging, gender, and the echoes of history and transforms them into a poetic, experimental narrative. The third-person narration gives voice not just to people, but even to objects like cane, shadows, and crows which speak and reflect the surreal beauty of the story. And amidst all this, there are moments of humor and lightness, philosophical musings, and scenes that may seem trivial but linger in the heart. It’s not an easy book but it’s a beautiful one. And I’m grateful and reignited my love for translated literature most unexpectedly. 4.5 ⭐