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A debut novelist, a book set in the Indian north east, a story of a boy who sets out to avenge his best friend’s murder and another side of Indian history from the early 20th century – that sums up The Grasshopper’s Run.
The story is set in 1944, when the Japanese imperial army invaded British India from the north-eastern hills. Against this backdrop the author develops the story, which begins with a massacre in a Naga village by the Japanese. The dead include young Uti, the grandson and heir of the Ao Naga chief. The perpetrator is identified as Mori and Uti’s grandfather sends his men to avenge the death of his grandson. Joining the group is Gojen Rajkhowa, Uti’s best friend. As he walks side by side with the men of the tribes, he learns about the differences and similarities between them.
A lot of ancient wisdom is narrated through the conversations among the men, “When you hunt, you are placing your hunger against the animal’s desire to live. If your hunger is greater, you will get the animal. But not always.”
The book has won the Vodafone Crossword Award in the children's category for the year 2010.
The book has also won the Sahitya Akademi Award for the year 2011.
Comments
I'd put this book at 15+ as
I'd put this book at 15+ as the events described are really violent and disturbing. Given the theme, it's amazingly sensitive and beautifully evocative. A literary gem, and a must read!