Arms Wide Asunder: An Epic Story of Treachery, Lust, Plunder and Redemption at the Birth of the British Empire in India

S. Jay Bose | CoeurDeLion Books 456p, trade paper, $22.95, ISBN 979-8-9880552-1-1

Bose’s ambitious debut crosses centuries and oceans, revealing both the surprising fates of its diverse cast and the horrors of England’s colonial project in India—and its reverberations today.The bulk of the novel takes place in the 18th century, when General Robert Clive, the founder of the Empire in India, engineers through duplicitous means a takeover of Bengal and the beheading of the Chief Minister Mohan Roy. The exciting opening section showcases the escape and revenge of Roy’s daughter, Anjolie, on the money-mad traitor who ensured the British victory, and her embarking to France with Jules, French officer she loves. After they marry, Anjolie adjusts to life among the French and enduring horrific news from Bengal, where Clive, the British, and the East India Company rule with escalating cruelty.

A vital and inspiring heroine, Anjolie vows not to let Clive maintain control over her home—not the house in which she was raised, nor India itself. Bose twines the story of both her years in France, where she’s warned by the former Governor-General of French possessions in India that Clive will “rape and pillage” all he can, with that of Clive himself, a detestable cuckold eager to force local farmers to abandon food crops for profitable opium. “She had never seen anyone so white and whalelike,” Bose writes, of a 15-year-old virgin forced to bed Clive.

Anjolie will have her revenge, an act that will shake both her century and ours. Bose includes chapters set in the Trump era, as an American of Indian descent visits an ancestral home in France, contemplates complex legacies of colonialism and racism, and discovers the story of Anjolie. This is rich material with moral weight, though it diminishes narrative momentum in a book that’s notably long. The prose at times is wordy, and some 18th century dialogue feels quite contemporary, but historical and cultural detail is convincing and the scenecraft is often strong.

Cover: B+ | Design & typography: A | Illustrations: – Editing: A- | Marketing copy: A

Epic historical novel of revenge, love, and Britain’s seizing of India.

Great for fans of Sangeeta Bhargava’s The World Beyond, Amitav Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies.