Temples - Viswanathan Latha

Novel about contemporary Indian culture by Latha Viswanathan. 

TEMPLES is a rich, subtle novel of extraordinary beauty. Set in Tamil Nadu, TEMPLES tells the story of Sathya, an archaeological curator whose life has been dedicated to restoring and preserving the rare, and ecstatically beautiful temple reliefs. When an act of violence occurs at one of his sites, Sathya gradually discovers that he has completely misunderstood the culture that he has worked his entire life to protect. Mixed in to Sathya’s story are those of his great niece, Cookie, visiting him from America; his neighbor, “Mr. Awesome,” who bemoans the dramatic change in India; George and Claudia, two American missionaries whose work enrages local Hindu nationalists; and different stories, as told in the temple reliefs, from the Bhagavad Gita.

TEMPLES explores cultural change and misunderstanding, and the inability of easily classifying a culture or people, shedding a provocative light on contemporary India.