The Pathless Sky by Chaitali Sen

The Pathless Sky by Chaitali Sen is a book of literary fiction. The book description from the publisher describes it best: “In the "exquisitely written" The Pathless Sky, Chaitali Sen conjures a world in which a nation's political turmoil, its secret history, and growing social unrest turn life into a fragile and capricious thing and love into a necessary refuge to be defended at all costs. A world not unlike the one we live in. Though they fell in love in college, life has conspired to keep John and Mariam apart for years. But a day comes when, across a great distance, both realize they have always loved each other. During the intervening years, however, the troubles in their country have reached a critical impasse. Government crimes have been white-washed, personal liberty is deeply compromised, a resistance movement has emerged from the underground to take the fight for freedom to the streets, and the government militia employs increasingly draconian measures in an attempt to maintain control. When Mariam is implicated in the latest spell of anti-government actions and arrested without appeal, the consequences of her and John's love will prove potentially dire for both.”

John and Miriam meet in college and although there is an unexplainable attraction, they don’t consummate their relationship for years. The journey toward marriage is long, but is compelling, nonetheless. John joins the military and is deployed, then goes to grad school. Miriam gets a job as a librarian. They keep in touch through letters (!!!), but the distance between them is vast until John realizes he’s in love with Miriam and goes to great lengths to get back to her. Once married, family secrets are revealed that conspire to keep them bound to Miriam’s hometown, but John is determined to get them out at all costs.

Sen does a fantastic job of keeping the threads of John and Miriam’s lives interweaving, even when John’s behavior is frustratingly immature. There is a palpable connection between the two and both are intelligent and ambitious, but John philandering keeps him at arm’s length from Miriam. But once deployed in the military, John witnesses a horrific war crime that “awakens” him, and all he can think about is getting back to Miriam.

The narrative takes its time and often meanders (its pathless, as the title suggests), but I couldn’t help but cheer for these two as their connection is powerful and their relationship ultimately is beneficial and supportive for the both of them. Sen’s writing is thoughtful and measured. If there is a downside here, then its lack of scene setting and location description is frustrating. I found myself trying to imagine their lives in places mentioned like Mount Belet, Sulat, and Alexandria, but my mind placed them in American settings because of the lack of scene description in these foreign locations. Despite this, I still really enjoyed this novel and I recommend it. I would give this book four and a half stars.

Buy the paperback on Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/152/9781609452919