An 18 year old first year university student, Freny Cuttingmaster, who is also a Parsi dies in a fall at Woodburn College during the Prince’s procession. Mistry is outside the College watching the Prince when the fall takes place. She sees Cuttingmaster upon the ground.
Freny, opposed to British rule, had consulted with Perveen a couple of days earlier. Mistry, both curious and feeling guilty over Freny’s death, seeks to find out what happened to Freny.
One of the Prince’s aides is a college friend, Colin Sandringham, who has come down from the hills. Sandringham would like a personal relationswith Perveen. (They had spent time together in The Satapur Moonstone.) She is reluctant. Her reputation risks being shredded if it were thought she had a relationship with the English ICS officer.
Tensions are high with Hindus and Muslims seeking out Europeans and Parsis. Tthey believe the Parsis support the English. There is violence in the streets.
A coroner’s inquest is held into Freny’s sudden death. I will discuss it more in another post. The inquest is a genuine exploration of the circumstances and cause of Freny’s death.
With grave worries for the Prince’s safety, his security detail carefully examines Perveen’s connections with Freny.
The book explores the relationships between the English and Indians. At times the English recognize the differences between the Hindus, Moslems and Parsi. Equally often they equate them as Indians.
As a woman, Perveen treads a delicate path through religious customs, precise etiquette, rigid social norms, class distinctions, overt prejudice and family expectations. Image is as important in 1921 as it is in 2022. That she is a lawyer adds to the complexity of her life.
Once again Massey finds a credible niche for Perveen as a female solicitor. It is a challenge being the first woman solicitor in Bombay. Perveen does her best to show reluctant clients she is capable of handling their legal matters. At the same time she contends with dismissive male authorities, both English and Indian. She longs to be an advocate in court but no woman has acted as a barrister. Will she ever be allowed to represent clients in trials or be kept on the periphery of judicial proceedings such as coroner’s inquests?
Mistry is a determined but not reckless woman. Adding personal danger to her in the plot adds a bit of action but not credibility.
The book got off to a slow start but the pace picked up briskly. In the end, I enjoyed the book but it did not sparkle like the first two books in the series.
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It's a fascinating time in history, Bill, and it sounds as though that's captured well here. It's interesting how Massey, Abir Mukherjee, Brian Stoddart, and others explore 1920s India in their work; there's such complexity there, and plenty of 'story fodder.' I like Massey's writing, too. It's good to hear that you enjoyed this one, even if it didn't have the sparkle that the first two in the series had.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the comment. Massey has done extensive research both on the history of the time and the legal processes of the era. I plan to read the next in the series.
DeleteYes, I like the series, and I think Massey went to India to research the books. I also saw an interview with her where it was explained that the Parsis were close to the British, but Perveen Mistry is for the independent movement and goes to rallies to hear Gandhi. I find the books fascinating in terms of learning about customs and relations in India's history. Massey has also explained that Parsis don't have castes, as the Hindus do, but they obviously have class differences. Also their funereal practices are unique. Not to be insensitive to any religion's practice, I found the Parsis' customs to be difficult to read about.
ReplyDeleteI left out a word. I meant the Parsis' funereal practices to be hard to read about.
ReplyDeleteKathy D.: Thanks for the comments. I know more about Parsis from Massey's books. Looking at present information the Parsis are declining in numbers and their future is in question.
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