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February 19, 2026
The Last of Earth by Deepa Anappara review
The follow-up to Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line explores the history of colonial exploration through a perilous 19th-century odyssey
TL;DR
- The novel is set in mid-19th-century Tibet, a region then closed to European imperialists.
- It examines colonial exploration, cartography, and the impermanence of human existence.
- Protagonists include Balram, an Indian surveyor-spy, and Katherine, a woman of part Indian heritage.
- Their journeys involve perilous odysseys, encountering natural obstacles and the complexities of human emotions.
- The narrative critiques the colonial enterprise, noting the exploitation and erasure of native lives.
- It suggests that history and maps can be deceptive, and that history is a living thing that can be recast.
- The book is compared in scale and architecture to novels by Janice Pariat and Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih.
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