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Ghost Eye is written in an extraordinarily gripping manner that slowly draws the reader into its world. The storytelling feels cinematic, yet thoughtful, allowing scenes to unfold with clarity and emotional depth. Amitav Ghosh does not rely on dramatic excess. Instead, he builds tension through atmosphere, memory, and consequence. The novel quietly unsettles, urging readers to observe rather than rush.

This is a story that demands patience, and in return, it offers layered meaning and lasting impact.

Two timelines shaping one truth

The novel unfolds through two interconnected timelines. One is set in 1969, while the other takes place in 2022 during the COVID period. These timelines move independently at fiirst, but gradually reflect and illuminate each other.

The 1969 narrative centres on a traditional Marwari family. Abhaya Gupta and his wife Dipika live with their two children, Sandeep, who is five years old, and Varsha, who is just three. Their household is large, disciplined, and deeply rooted in custom. Business commitments require frequent travel, but life within the family remains structured and predictable.

Until it suddenly is not.

Varsha and the beginning of the disturbance

Just before 21 September 1969, Varsha begins to behave in ways that disrupt the family’s sense of order. Despite being raised in a strictly vegetarian household, she develops an intense craving for fish and rice. Even more disturbing is her sudden ability to speak fluent Bengali, a language no one in the family uses at home.

At first, her ayah assumes the child is joking. However, Varsha’s insistence becomes emotional and unyielding. The family grows anxious. Questions arise about how such cravings and language could appear in a home where non vegetarian food has never been allowed. Suspicion briefly falls on the ayah, who is Bengali, but there is no evidence of wrongdoing.

The unease deepens when Varsha begins speaking about another life. She describes parents who live in a mud house and recalls being bitten by a snake. A mark on her ribcage appears to correspond with this memory. What she says does not feel imagined. It feels remembered.

When medical reason reaches its limits

In search of clarity, the family consults their paediatrician, Dr Monty Bose. He recommends psychiatric evaluation by his wife, Dr Shoma Bose. When Shoma begins interacting with Varsha, she notices something remarkable. Varsha’s Bengali is not fragmented or learned by imitation. It is linguistically accurate and culturally rooted.

Shoma listens rather than dismisses. She observes rather than diagnoses too quickly. At her suggestion, Varsha is allowed to eat fish and rice, not as indulgence but as part of understanding the source of her craving. Through careful sessions and attention to detail, Shoma begins to see the pattern clearly.

What emerges is the unsettling possibility of reincarnation. The soul, it appears, has carried memory across lives.

Lusibari and the memory of land

As the narrative progresses, the story moves into the Sundarbans, particularly Lusibari. This location is not merely a backdrop. It is a living presence. The mangroves, rivers, and fragile ecosystem seem to hold memory, grief, and truth.

In Lusibari, land and life appear inseparable. Ghosh presents nature as something that remembers what humans try to forget. The journey into this space is both physical and emotional, revealing how certain places absorb human stories and retain their echoes.

The present voice in 2022

The second timeline is set in 2022 during the pandemic. The story is revisited through Dinu, Shoma’s sister’s son, who lives in Brooklyn. Dinu attempts to piece together the events of the past and understand what truly happened to Varsha.

With the help of Tipu, he searches through documents, memories, and personal testimonies. This investigative process shows how stories do not vanish with time. They remain dormant until someone is willing to listen.

The pandemic backdrop adds another layer, reinforcing the idea that global crises force buried truths to resurface.

Rebirth, precognition, and ecological awareness

At its core, Ghost Eye is not simply about reincarnation. It is about continuity. Ghosh explores metempsychosis as a form of extended memory, where souls carry awareness from one life to another.

The novel introduces characters who recall previous lives, including lives lived as animals. A man who remembers being an otter and another who recalls existence as a python embody the idea that consciousness is not limited to human form. Their precognitive awareness becomes a tool for protection rather than dominance.

The story weaves in ideas such as the rights of nature, ecological responsibility, and Panchamama, the Earth as a living mother. Environmental preservation is not presented as activism alone, but as moral inheritance.

History woven into the narrative

As with much of Ghosh’s work, history quietly runs beneath the surface. References to World War II, the Burma incident, Burma’s independence, and the civil strife that followed are integrated naturally into the story.

The mention of the Petrozavodsk phenomenon of 20 September 1977, a strange glowing sky event in the Soviet Union, further blurs the boundary between documented reality and unexplained experience. These moments strengthen the novel’s central concern with belief, denial, and the limits of rational understanding.

Writing style and narrative strength

Ghosh’s writing remains calm, layered, and deeply reflective. He blends archival research, anthropology, and oral history into fiction so seamlessly that the narrative feels lived rather than imagined. Facts never overpower emotion. They support it.

His novels move across time, geography, and memory with patience. Ordinary people, families, doctors, migrants, and communities carry the weight of historical and ecological forces. The past and present mirror each other, revealing patterns that continue to repeat.

Ghost Eye is a novel about revelation. The apparitions within the story do not frighten. They expose. Memory, land, and past lives return to remind humanity of its responsibilities.

It is a quiet, powerful book that lingers long after it is finished.

About the Author

Amitav Ghosh was born on 11 July 1956 in Kolkata, India. He is a novelist, essayist, and trained anthropologist. His academic background in social anthropology strongly influences his writing, allowing him to blend fiction with historical research, fieldwork, and oral narratives.

Ghosh’s work consistently explores colonialism, migration, trade, climate change, and the relationship between humans and the natural world. His writing crosses borders and centuries, showing how history continues to shape contemporary life.

Major Fiction Works

• The Circle of Reason
• The Shadow Lines
• The Calcutta Chromosome
• The Glass Palace
• The Hungry Tide
• The Ibis Trilogy
  • Sea of Poppies
  • River of Smoke
  • Flood of Fire
• Gun Island
• Ghost Eye

Major Non Fiction Works

• In an Antique Land
• Dancing in Cambodia, At Large in Burma
• Countdown
• The Great Derangement
• The Nutmeg’s Curse
• The Wild Fictions

Through both fiction and non fiction, Amitav Ghosh challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths about history, ecology, and human responsibility. His work stands as a bridge between literature and conscience.