The Point of Return: a novel

Book Description

Set in the remote northeastern hills of India, the story revolves around the father-son relationship of a willful curious boy, Babu, and Doctor Dam, an enigmatic product of British colonial rule and Nehruvian nationalism. Told in reverse chronological order, the novel examines an India where the ideals that brought freedom from colonial rule are beginning to crack under the pressure of new rebellions and conflicts. For Dr. Dam and Babu this has meant living as strangers in the same home, puzzled and resentful, tied only by blood. As the father grows weary and old and the son tries to understand him, clashes between ethnic groups in their small town show them to be strangers to their country as well. Before long Babu finds himself embarking on a great journey, an odyssey through the memories of his father, his family, and his nation.

The Point of Return poignantly explores the precarious balance of familial relationships built around secrets and the intrusions of political conflicts outside the control of individuals. From start to finish it is a powerful, moving, and unforgettable story.

Customer Reviews:

An insightful look at life and what makes us who we are.......2007-01-10

It is an unfortunate aspect of our culture that novels by South Asian authors are so often viewed as a means to escape from the hum-drum of our Western, suburban lives, an escape to a place of monsoons and mangoes and curries. Siddhartha Deb's first novel may be set in East India, but it takes place in the heart.

Deb's novel is not a coming of age novel so much as an insightful look at what it means to be a young adult reflecting on the humanity of one's parents - the people to whom we are closest, but somehow never really know. It's also a reflection on those people and experiences that mold who we, as unique individuals, become.

Much of Deb's book, I suspect, will, as it must, be familiar with the many men and women who were, in one way or another, displaced by the partition of India, the 1971 liberation war in Bangladesh, and the communalism in which the subcontinent continues to simmer.

But the beauty of Deb's novel is not in the vivid depictions of life in social and political tumult, it is in his brilliant rendering of universal experiences - the search for grounding, for self, for home.

Consult a map & read it twice!.......2003-06-11

This is no light or easy read; the chronology and narrative perspective of this book change, and the shifts are sometimes unsettling. This I took to be part of the author's design, and by the end of the book I found it effective, a part of the chaos of memory that speaks true. I also found myself wishing the overleaf of the book had a map of the regions, as place is so important in the novel and I was unfamiliar with more than basic Indian geography. I would recommend that a reader unfamiliar with these regions print out a map (and also note what the country looked like in the days before Partition) before beginning on this literary journey. It's a journey I'm glad to have made, and although I have not yet undertaken a second read, that was my first impulse when I came to the end -- I felt there was so much more for me to mine from the intertwined stories of Babu's and Dr. Dam's lives as shared by Deb than I had been able to absorb in one pass. A good writer writes what he knows and speaks the truth -- much easier said than done -- and Deb has done both quite beautifully in this book.

Moving.......2003-06-04

With its fractured timeline and foreign (even for Indians) Indian states, this book will swirl around you. Yield to it. Enjoy it. Be disturbed by it. Draw parallels with your own life (especially if you no longer live where you did as a child). And more often than not, be transported.

This book moves you through geography, through time, through life. And it is a journey that you will be glad that you took.

While I eagerly await Mr. Deb's next book, I am troubled by the idea that he might never write another book that is so true, and so felt. Regardless, don't let this one pass you by.

"Memory is about what you decide to remember.".......2003-05-23

In this sensitively imagined and astutely observed novel, Babu, son of veterinarian Dr. Dam, reminisces about his father's life, trying to understand him--at least to the extent that sons can ever understand their fathers. Acutely aware that every generation views events and experiences through knowledge gained during own lifetimes, Babu recognizes that though he and his father have shared many events, their views of these events are vastly different, in each case conditioned by their separate, though sometimes intersecting, pasts.

The Dam family is Bengali, managing to escape the 1979 civil war there by fleeing to Assam, a remote, northeastern province of India nestled between Bangladesh and Bhutan. Supporting his elderly parents and several brothers and sisters, and marrying and starting a family late in life, Dr. Dam has spent his career as an honest civil servant within a corrupt Indian government. Babu, born in India, has never known the places which shaped the lives of his father and grandparents and which still live in their hearts. Separated by both temperament and by dissimilar backgrounds, Dr. Dam and Babu are remote from each other until they are brought together dramatically through Dr. Dam's debilitating stroke.

Deb's straightforward and often elegant prose is particularly effective for its subtlety. Lacking the lush description so frequently found in novels with Indian settings, the novel concentrates instead on universal values and the father-son search for understanding. The novel is less exotic, despite its unusual setting, than some other Indian novels, but more accessible to readers from other cultures and more potent in its observations about life. In an ironic twist, the author uses his clear, unadorned prose to provide Dr. Dam's personal history in a chronology which, though linear, moves backward in time, as Babu, aged seventeen, recalls what he knows of his father and the events and people which have influenced him.

The reverse chronology is much like the history we all create for our parents whenever we try to mine our own experiences for insights into their lives in an effort to find common ground and understand who we think they are. We recall past events in their lives which we think are important based on our own experiences, not theirs. With its focus both on a man coming to terms with his father's life, and on everyone's yearning for a homeland, even after it is gone, Deb provides observations which expand our own view of what forms our characters, and gives us new insights into universal truths. Mary Whipple

Wallow In It.......2003-04-01

This is a book to really wallow in. Just make sure you have the evening free, sit back with a drink, and enjoy.

Babylon 5: The Point Of No Return (Babylon 5 (Mongoose Publishing))

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Babylon 5: The Point Of No Return (Babylon 5 (Mongoose Publishing))
August Hahn
Manufacturer: Mongoose Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Science Fiction | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Babylon 5 | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 190457730X

Book Description

The Babylon 5 sourcebook containing all the information for using Season 3, advancing the storyline to this time.

So Little Time and Point of No Return Two Complete Novels

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So Little Time and Point of No Return Two Complete Novels
John P. Marquand
Manufacturer: Little Brown & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K09NSU

So Little Time and Point of No Return Two Complete Novels (Hardcover)

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So Little Time and Point of No Return Two Complete Novels (Hardcover)
JOHN MARQUAND
Manufacturer: HARDBACK
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WU6ZIO

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So Little Time and Point of No Return-Two Complete Novels

Manufacturer: Boston: Little Brown, 1943
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H02NN0

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So Little Time and Point of No Return: Two Complete Novels
John P. Marquand
Manufacturer: Little Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000CRV2EE

Two Complete Novels : So Little Time; Point of No Return

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Two Complete Novels : So Little Time; Point of No Return
John P. Marquand
Manufacturer: LITTLE, BROWN & COMPANY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OKIEHM

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The Point of Return: A Novel
Siddhartha Deb
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEJ5DU

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So Little Time and Point of No Return: Two Complete Novels
John P Marquand
Manufacturer: Little Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NPT2NS

Customer Reviews:

The Chrome Borne.......2007-06-27

Good book with ties to lots of other series. The only negative thing is the fact that to get all the references you have to read other books, namely the Diana Tregarde series-by the same author, the "Bedlam" series by Mercedes Lackey, Ellen Guon, Rosemary Edgehill, and various others, I haven't read or even found them all. Also there is the fact that instead of the first 2 books of the Serrated Edge Series, it contains the first and the last of said series. All in All a great book that can be read as a stand alone.

Bad habit.......2005-10-17

Baen's done this before with Weber and the Honorverse in short story collections.

A trend in excess greed when not properly labeled.

hilarious.......2002-08-16

These two books are Born to Run and Chrome Circle bound together. It can be a little confusing because they are the first and fourth books in a series, and one of the main characters in Chrome Circle originated from the second book in the series. These books are very funny, and Tannim is a very cool character. The first book starts very abruptly, but it was understandable and exciting. Two thumbs up.

Very good, Very Weird.......2001-06-06

I think my title says it all. I've read this book so many times the cover has fallen off, and I'm thinking of getting a new copy. This book has to stories in it, which you can buy seprately. Both of them are really good, although the second one gave me a scare at the end. It's about a group of elves into racecar driving who own a aompany called Fairgrove Industries, along with a few human mages. There is a slight love story in the second book also, though it dosen't get in the way of the rest of the story. I wonderfol book.

well, duh!.......2000-05-09

if you haven't noticed, mercedes lackey (or her publishers) are taking some of her series of books, and putting them into one total anthology. In the long run, it saves everybody money, and we have MORE space on our shelves for books! I say kudos! in fact, i was able to get an out of print book in this manner, one that really helped my personal understanding of a series.

CHROME BORNE: BORN TO RUN & CHROME CIRCLE (SERRATED EDGE & BEDLAM'S BA

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CHROME BORNE: BORN TO RUN & CHROME CIRCLE (SERRATED EDGE & BEDLAM'S BA

Manufacturer: Baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HLYQQQ

Book Description

Sam Gunn has a nose for trouble, money and women--though not necessarily in that order. He's a hero without peer...or scruples; a man with the ego and stature of a Napoleon, the business acumen of a P.T. Barnum, and the raging hormones of a newly pubescent teenage boy. He's Sam Gunn, the finest astronaut NASA ever trained...and dumped.

But more than money, more than women, Sam Gunn loves justice! (Though he does dearly love women and money.) Whether he's suing the Pope, coming to the aid of voluptuous twin sisters in the "virtual sex" trade, or on trial for his life on charges of interplanetary genocide, you can be sure of one thing: this pint-sized space jockey will meet every challenge with a smile on his lips, an ace up his sleeve...and a blaster in his pocket!

Customer Reviews:

Science fiction and comedy - a superb blend........1999-01-27

What a marvelous character Ben Bova has created. Just when you think Sam cannot possibly get out of a situation, be it political, sexual or space related, he pulls a fast one. This guy has more moves than John Travolta. A wonderful book that shows that science fiction can also have a light hearted side.

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SAM GUNN FOREVER

Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000I4PPTO

Book Description

Why does the Bible contain so many stories of hurting people? Though their situations vary, their conditions don't. They have nowhere to turn. Yet before their eyes stands a never-say-die Galilean who majors in stepping in when everyone else steps out. Lucado reminds us that the purpose of these portraits isn't to tell us what Jesus did-but rather to remind us what Jesus still does.

Customer Reviews:

He has done it yet again.......2007-09-13

I read this book quite a few years ago, and it positively took my breath away. I was left with a new and refreshed view of My Lord, that embedded within my soul a joy and a peace that cannot be described. Thank you again Max, for this gift of writing that you give to our sick and tired world.

Carrie Lynn Jones
author of It All Began... When Jesus Gave Me Sneakers

A Lesson for All Hearts.......2006-07-07

As one who had a 'wounded soul,' I cannot tell you how much this book changed and turned around my life. I received it as a gift many years ago and I have now bought my 4th copy of the book, as the ones I have loaned out never 'come home', which speaks of how powerfully this book also speaks to others. In this book, Max tells of characters of the Bible as if they are actually people you know in real life; perhaps an aunt or uncle, sister or brother, friend or neighbor. His narrative is so possitive that no one can read it and not be affected. I consider it a must for any library!.

Best Book by Lucado.......2006-04-29

I've read most of Max Lucado's books and this is not only my favorite by him but my favorite book of all time. (Well, except for the Bible.)

This book is helpful in some way for anyone who reads it. I have given this book as a gift for so many people going through a tough time and it has helped each one.

No one tells a story in quite the way Lucado does. It is hard to put his books down and this is one book that I read continually until I finished it. It is a book you keep and read again and again.

God has blessed Max Lucado with a gift of story telling and finding scripture that might be obscure or a special verse that God shows him and then opens his heart to a whole new and unique way of looking at and explaining its meaning in a way that is easy to understand. He brings about such deep emotions with his writing.

God has given Max Lucado a special gift and in turn God, through Lucado, will bless each person who read his books. This book is a must read for everyone. On a scale of 1-5 I really give this book a 10.

Makes a great bible study.......2006-03-19

I read this book several years ago. It's one of the author's finest, in my opinion. I remembered it being so moving and convicting that I purchased a half dozen of them to use in a bible study group I'm now hosting. The book has scripture reference and discussion questions for each story in the back of the book. It's proving to be wonderful for promoting introspection, group discussion and sharing. Our group loves it.

Inspirational.......2005-08-31

I enjoy much of Max Lucado's writings, but this has always been my favorite. I have found much in this book that speaks to my life, and to many others. This was the first book I read of his, and one of the first I read as a new Christian. Its easy to follow and great to inspire.

Lucado 3 in 1: In the Eye of the Storm. He Still Moves Stones. a Gentle Thunder (Lucado 3 in 1)

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I just couldn't put it down!
This book definitely helped me get closer to God.
Share this book with others.

Lucado 3 in 1: In the Eye of the Storm. He Still Moves Stones. a Gentle Thunder (Lucado 3 in 1)
Max Lucado
Manufacturer: W Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Inspirational | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 084991552X

Customer Reviews:

I just couldn't put it down!.......2000-03-03

This is the first Lucado book I have read, but it won't be the last! From page one I loved this author. He has a wonderful way of making you know that God is interested in you. He shares wonderful stories in life that let you know there is a God who loves you. When I read this book I felt very loved by my Creator, and it's also helped me to see the little miracles in life that happen everyday. Everyone who doubts there is a God should get a copy of this book. I can't wait to dig into another one of Lucado's works! I really like the way he sees God, and I am beginning to see God the way I should, Finally!

This book definitely helped me get closer to God........1999-07-15

I love this book. This the first "Lucado" book that I have ever read. It is priceless. After reading this book and praying, my life seemed to improve. Maybe it helped me see that things weren't really as bad as I thought. It definitely showed me that God is in control.

Share this book with others........1999-03-14

This is the fifth copy of this book that I have purchased. I have given every copy to a friend. Max Lucado is my favorite author and these are three of his best books in one volume. Of course, all of his books are his best books. Pick any Lucado title. You will not be disappointed. He writes as if he were speaking only to you. "In the Grip of Grace" is one of my favorites, but every book I own of Lucado's is my favorite. He never disappoints. His tomes invite multiple readings and his clear style makes difficult truths easy to grasp. I just love his writing.

In the Eye of the Storm, he Still Moves Stones, and a Gentle Thunder

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In the Eye of the Storm, he Still Moves Stones, and a Gentle Thunder
Max Lucado
Manufacturer: Word Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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HE STILL MOVES STONES

Manufacturer: Word Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

1. IN THE EYE OF THE STORM 2. HE STILL MOVES STONES 3. A GENTLE THUNDER

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1. IN THE EYE OF THE STORM 2. HE STILL MOVES STONES 3. A GENTLE THUNDER
Max Lucado
Manufacturer: Word Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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HE STILL MOVES STONES
Max Lucado
Manufacturer: Word Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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He Still Moves Stones
Max Lucado
Manufacturer: W Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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He still Moves Stones
Max Lucado
Manufacturer: Word Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Lucado 3 in 1: In the Eye of the Storm. He Still Moves Stones. a Gentle Thunder

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Lucado 3 in 1: In the Eye of the Storm. He Still Moves Stones. a Gentle Thunder
Max Lucado
Manufacturer: Word Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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