On the face of it, the book is confusing - the story is told in a convoluted way, and the whole pattern makes little sense other than trying to confound and strike the reader with an amazement at the various factors brought in by the author. There is the English officer in India during colonial times who is credited with discovery of an immensely important level then, a breakthrough about malaria and its cause, and more. Then there is the man in New York who keeps track of various matters - including people - across globe, a cog in a global wheel, who comes across an unclear piece of a lost identity card on screen and happens to be able to place the person it belongs to, having also met him, who happens to be an expert on the topic of the said British officer who made the immensely important discovery in cause and treatment of malaria. And then there are the various characters, some mysterious and some mystified, and some helpful in unravelling the mystery, in Calcutta and other places across India who have interacted with these main characters.
At some point one wonders about this structure of the book, about the characters normal and others mysterious, whether this convoluted tale is fashioned on the mysterious way science and scientific discoveries work - and the way it all seems a mystery to those not quite in the field, most of the time.
At some point one wonders about this structure of the book, about the characters normal and others mysterious, whether this convoluted tale is fashioned on the mysterious way science and scientific discoveries work - and the way it all seems a mystery to those not quite in the field, most of the time.
