A riot it isn’t.

The story, events, characters unfold slowly, painted in strokes on a small canvas in Northern India with lyrical writing.

This is a book written for foreigners. But this doesn’t stop us from learning, about our religions and communal politics, and what goes on in the minds of people actually involved in communal riots. The chapters, told from different viewpoints, are crisp and short, just what one would wish in a book with a political agenda.

In the words of his protagonist, or one of them, Tharoor says: "Why not write a book about religion without descriptions of a mosque or temple or devotion." He has, with all the nine essential emotional elements that must go into any work of entertainment: love, hate, joy, sorrow, pity, disgust, courage, pride and compassion

The gentle romance that threads through the book and occasionally sizzles loudly keeps the reader going. In contrast are the bitter American marriage and the sedate Indian one, where love ‘should come after.’

The craft with which Tharoor chooses to express many views is so simple and complete that you think there is no other way that this could have been explained.

One wishes… if only I could.

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