Ghost-Eye by Amitav Ghosh review a climate-crisis novel let down by its prose

"The plot has been quite intricately worked out. It seeds the reader's curiosity, especially in the first half, with all sorts of intriguing mysteries."

"Much of the prose is dead on arrival. I say this with regret. Like many readers, I think of Ghosh with gratitude."

"Ghost-Eye is itself a climate crisis novel. The narrator is Dinu, described by a friend as a semi-retired, middle-aged antiquarian living in Brooklyn."

"Dinu tells his story in the plague year of 2020. He writes to unpick a complex past: he grew up in Calcutta in the 1960s and 70s."

Amitav Ghosh's novel, Ghost-Eye, features an intricately developed plot that engages readers with its mysteries, particularly regarding global and local collisions post-World War II. However, the prose often relies on clichés, detracting from the overall experience. The narrator, Dinu, reflects on his past during the plague year of 2020, aiming to memorialize his aunt, Shoma, a therapist. Despite the novel's significance as a climate crisis narrative, the writing lacks the vibrancy expected from Ghosh's previous works.

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