ISBN: 9780143419082    Publisher: PENGUIN INDIA Year of publishing: 2012     Format:  Paperback Language: English

The Assassin's Song is a novel about the personal struggles of a boy as he tries to escape his destiny. It's a story which starts from the 1960s and is a tale of escape and redemption. It is the story of how a young boy leaves everything behind only to discover what he truly loves is what he left. The story of The Assassin's Song is focused on the life of Karsan Dargawalla, a young boy who hails from India. He is the son of a Sufi Shrine guardian and has always known that his destiny was to succeed his father as the Shrine's guardian and an earthly avatar Pir Bawa, a 13th century mystic. He is anything but ordinary but desires to lead an ordinary life. His dream is to play cricket. When he gets into Harvard, he decides to study there despite his father being against this decision. When Karsan reaches the United States, he discovers a freedom which he has never known. He makes the decision to stay abroad and denounces his inheritance, much to his father's displeasure. He gets married and has a fulfilling career. Then one day, tragedy strikes Karsan in his new home in Canada and he is drawn back to India, to his heritage. Once he's back, he finds that the shrine that was supposed to be his inheritance is in shambles, Gujarat is now a communally torn state and his brother is a fugitive. 30 years of separation from his home has changed the world of his childhood completely, leaving sorrow where laughter once reigned. The Assassin's Song is beautifully written in simple language. The book was published by Penguin India in 2012. It is written in English and is available in paperback.
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M G Vassanji was born in Kenya. He specialised in nuclear physics and attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania. Later, he moved to Canada as a postdoctoral fellow. He developed an interest in Indian history when he was at the University of Toronto. He published his first novel, Gunny Sack in 1989. He has been awarded the Giller Prize twice for best work of fiction, the Commonwealth Regional Prize and the Governor-General's Prize.
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