Goddess of Fire: A Historical Novel Set in 17th-Century India
Set in Rampore, India, in 1684, this novel’s opening scene is hair-raising and tense beyond description, as the body of Moorti’s much older husband is about to be ritually burned on a pyre, and 17-year-old Moorti with him, in the rite known as sati. If she refuses, she has no hope of a future, as a widow is considered cursed unless cleansed by the sati purification; choosing the latter, Moorti would be considered a Hindu saint. Fortunately for her, she is rescued by a British merchant, Job Charnock. They dare to defy convention in their evolving relationship; indeed, they create new rules and standards for their situation.
In incident after incident, Moorti shows herself to be a quick learner of languages and the details of trading. She has an instinctual sense about each trader’s thoughts and feelings, whether honest or otherwise. Job is torn between being a decent human being and a detached trader who counts profit above all. India is portrayed in all her glory and ugliness. Moorti confronts the scorn of being a woman, a lower-class subject, a worker with no status whatsoever, a lover with new-found status, and a sharp observer of those who trade in the name of the East India Trading Company. Yet she also receives multiple small and large acts of kindness that gradually offer her undreamed-of possibilities. The reader’s emotions and thoughts soar and fall and soar again with each seemingly insurmountable problem. This is magnificent, classical historical fiction which is said to depict the life and work of the founders of Calcutta. An absolute must-read!