Although Chaudhuri is not yet 40, his prose has the calm, prophetic elegance of one who has spent several generations in tranquil contemplation of the history being made around him. Time, family and tradition are always bigger than the individual characters who pass through them. Indeed, in the last of these short novels, Freedom Song, the vaguely non-conformist Bhaskar is gradually made ready for marriage and the businessman's life by his concerned family and by his own liking for good food and domestic comforts. The earlier novels, A Strange and Sublime Address and Afternoon Raag, both involve recollections of enchanted childhoods in India, the latter from the perspective of a student at Oxford who, in his semi-detached state of mind, observes the rituals of English life and finds parallels with those of India. The writing is masterly and original but extremely leisurely; personally, I enjoyed it most in the nine short stories also included in this collection.