A Disappearance In Fiji

Loved reading this over the weekend!

I got to know about this book from a suggested reading list in the The Hindu. Having traveled to Fiji a few decades ago I was interested in reading this book. I met many Fijian, descendants of the indentured labour who were brought to work in sugar plantations by the Britishers. This novel is set in the early part of the 20th Century when the indenture system was in vogue.The storyline is unraveling the disappearance of a coolie woman Kunti from a sugarcane plantation. Akal, a Sergeant in the Police Constublary, is given the task to investigate with specific instructions to close the issue. The narrative is engaging with twists and turns typical of the mystery novel. Yet the novel is much more than a thriller because the author situates the story the ecosystem of the times. The inhuman treatment of the labourers in the plantation, the racial discrimination practiced in the police force and the society and how the first generation Indians coped with life in the island miles away from home.The complexities facing Akal's predicament his fall from grace in Hong Kong and the challenge of professional acceptance in Fiji, the aspirations and the attitude of the Parkins couple the owners of the plantation from where Kunti disappeared, response of Kunti's family to the situation imparts depth to the writing. Akal, Susan Parkins, Dr Holmes and Henry Parkins have been fleshed out. There are many characters brought in the novel to highlight the various aspects of the plight of Indians for example in Fiji like indentured labour who have redeemed their bond an are free owners.The author keeps the narrative taut and is able to hold the attention of the reader. It was a bit rushed towards the end. The minimal presence of the people of the island was a bit jarring. However, the book is engaging to read and gives an idea to the reader about the indentured labour system.I would like to add that the plight of the women on the plantations have also been highlighted through various episodes. It is tragic though that women who work for sugar cane harvesting in India is as miserable even to this day. Many times while reading the novel I was reminded of The Sickle by Anita Agnihotri who has brought out the sorry state of affairs of these women in modern times in India.

This book was an education for me. I knew nothing about the period from 1989 to 1916, when 60,000 Indians went to Fiji as indentured servants. The author, Nilima Rao, a Fijian Indian Australian, takes us to a sugar cane plantation inspired by the lives of her grandparents, who went to Fiji to harvest the sugar cane.The protagonist is Akal Singh, a Sikh sergeant who was just transferred to Fiji from Hong Kong. He’s under a cloud because of a mistake he made in Hong Kong. But he’s brought his ethics with him. When told to look into the disappearance of a “coolie” woman ( indentured servant), he takes the assignment way more seriously than his superior would like — and makes horrific discoveries.There are some very likable characters — Akal whose turban is so difficult to keep neat, the Fijian constable who loves to tease Akal, and the white doctor who treats the Indian servants with compassion. These three become good friends. As for villains, the plot is well supplied with those too.I really enjoyed this book — the exotic time and place, the absorbing investigation, and the fun characters. Hope this begins a series.

Really enjoyed this first book by this author. Well written and gave a good insight into an aspect of history I was not aware of i.e. Indians working on the plantations in Fiji. Great main character who one could sympathise with concerning his position in Fiji. I hope there is a second book.

Well-written first book by this author, with a well-developed protagonist, Sgt. Akal Singh. The historical details are smoothly integrated into the story, revealing complex social and economic systems within, and among, the local (Singapore and Fiji), Indian, and colonial British cultures. After the abolition of the Black African slave trade, Britain instituted a system little better than slavery: Indian indentured servitude. Poor Indians were enlisted to work the plantations in Fiji, Mauritius, and the British colonies in South Africa, West Indies and South America. While I knew about South Africa, I hadn't known about the far-reaching extent of this practice. Nor does Sgt. Singh, and Ms Rao skillfully portrays his struggle with his place, as an educated Indian and as a man with a strong moral compass, in the British colonial system, without hitting us over the head with it.I don't know if Ms. Rao is working on another Sgt. Singh novel, but I hope so. I would love to see his story continue.

I knew very little about the sugarcane industry in Fiji. It was very interesting to solve a murder in about 1914 while learning about the appalling attitudes of Australians towards the local Fijian people and indentured Indian workers. They were basically treated as slaves. The cruel and de-humanising treatment of the workers speaks volumes about attitudes at the time.I liked the way the characters and their secrets were gradually.

This was a great read - exceptionally well written for a debut novel. Ms Ray very skillfully answered questions the reader might be thinking without ever seeming to give anything away or seem obvious. How many times in a crime thriller do you encounter a dialogue where the most pertinent questions - the very ones YOU would ask - are not asked by the main character? It makes my skin crawl when that happens! Ms Rao casts a light on another dismal chapter in our history - a form of slavery called ‘indentured workers’. Yes, we’ve all heard of it and maybe even think we understand it, but the author strips away all the pretense and shows it to be exactly what it is: slavery - with a slim possibility of freedom - and nothing more. I won’t delve into the characters but the familiar genre duo of Sergeant Akal and his sidekick Taviti are seen in many other crime novel series and their battles against both the criminal element and a supervisor who wants things to run smoothly (or else) are comfortable in their familiarity. Great book, great story and hopefully the first in a long series set in the exotic land of Fiji.