--- product_id: 116412304 title: "The Far Field: A Novel" price: "409 kr" currency: NOK in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.no/products/116412304-the-far-field-a-novel store_origin: NO region: Norway --- # The Far Field: A Novel **Price:** 409 kr **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Far Field: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** 409 kr with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.no](https://www.desertcart.no/products/116412304-the-far-field-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description "Remarkable . . . Vijay traces the fault lines of history, love, and obligation running through a fractured family and country." —Anthony Marra, New York Times –bestselling author of The Tsar of Love and Techno Winner of the 2019 JCB Prize for Literature Gorgeously tactile and sweeping in historical and socio-political scope, Pushcart Prize–winner Madhuri Vijay's The Far Field follows a complicated flaneuse across the Indian subcontinent as she reckons with her past, her desires, and the tumultuous present. In the wake of her mother's death, Shalini, a privileged and restless young woman from Bangalore, sets out for a remote Himalayan village in the troubled northern region of Kashmir. Certain that the loss of her mother is somehow connected to the decade-old disappearance of Bashir Ahmed, a charming Kashmiri salesman who frequented her childhood home, she is determined to confront him. But upon her arrival, Shalini is brought face to face with Kashmir's politics, as well as the tangled history of the local family that takes her in. And when life in the village turns volatile and old hatreds threaten to erupt into violence, Shalini finds herself forced to make a series of choices that could hold dangerous repercussions for the very people she has come to love. With rare acumen and evocative prose, in The Far Field Madhuri Vijay masterfully examines Indian politics, class prejudice, and sexuality through the lens of an outsider, offering a profound meditation on grief, guilt, and the limits of compassion. "A chance to glimpse the lives of distant people captured in prose gorgeous enough to make them indelible—and honest enough to make them real." — The Washington Post "A singular story of mother and daughter." — Entertainment Weekly Review: Sensitive First Novel Concerning Progressive Decline in Western Social Sensibility - "From the beginning, I adored Suneyna for her shy smile and her habit of unconsciously reaching out to touch me whenever we were working. Her little hand would wander out and graze some part of my face, my chin or nose, and then she would go on as before, busily choosing blocks, unaware that she had shaken me deeply." Such is one of the more compelling small moments in Madhuri Vijay's first novel, "The Far Field." These little beats of simple action are all the more welcome as they randomly emerge amidst a very grim fictional though realistic landscape. The protagonist, Shalini, from Bangalore, India, journeys northeast to Kashmir, soon after she has arrived at an uncertain crossroads in her life at age 30. She resolves to look for someone who she greatly admired when she was young. She is as emotionally involving as a well-drawn but very updated Dickens protagonist. The characters are so vivid in this story, especially the people of the mountain villages. There is an openess, a direct manner of address that Vijay captures in the various people Shalini meets. Their warmth is unique and nicely contrasts with Shalini's more remote less trusting more cautious big city manner. There are the barest of small mud and wood houses though clean and optimized for spartan habitation that overlook mountain meadows. Another world. In Vijay's short story, "You Are My Dear Friend" emotions are held back within the actions of the protagonist or do not seem to exist when there is conflict. Although "The Far Field" might be characterized as a womens' novel, the men are not stereotyped and are as interestingly drawn as the women. Kashmir is such a mindless tragedy of a once very beautiful place that keeps continually replaying the brutal disconnect between Hindus and Muslims after the Partition of India in 1947. In modern times, emotional sensitivity is regarded as mental weakness and psychotic emotional overreaction is seen as a more normal though slightly sick form of mental control over others. Variously seen as progressive or not really but nevertheless necessary though degraded, "The Far Field" probes the obscene collateral damage of polarizing hatred and plain ignorance. It is a very fine first novel by a sensitive writer who brilliantly contrasts the lack of feeling or emotion in our modern geopolitical landscape where different ideas and singular individual differences are not to be tolerated in the best interests of an outwardly benevolent one world attitude. Excellent writers and poets chart the changes in the emotional and philosophical social-sphere as T. S. Eliot did in "The Wasteland" or Anthony Burgess in "A Clockwork Orange". "The Far Field" would make an awesome film about Kashmir to join "Haider" and "Fitoor" in its finest moments. The renown Hindi actor, Tabu would be perfect as Shalini's mother. It could be produced by Anushka Sharma's film production company, Clean Slate Filmz, for theatrical release after the pandemic. Ironically proving the point of Vijay's novel, it would actually be virtually impossible to shoot the film in Kashmir. So an excellent film location expert would need to scout a substitute location. And a skilled diplomat would also be needed to deal with any reservations film censors may have regarding the making of such a film in and about India. "The Far Field" displays a mature emotional feeling that doesn't seem to appeal as much to American readers as much as it once did in earlier American writers. It's emotional landscape is very relatable to today's tough times all over the world. The emotions and travails that Americans face are very similar to those that middle or lower upper class professional people experience in India or anywhere else in the world. The gulf between the well-monied and privileged people's existence contrasted to the more ordinary living of everyday people has never been as extreme as it is today. "The Far Field" wisely observes interactions among urban outsiders not at all aware of the maybe more ordinary but "different" in some ways, people of innately unique spiritual substance that they might meet. One caveat. It is quite sad but not anymore so than the pandemic and everything else that is wrong in the world these days. Review: Mixed Feelings on This One - [The Far Field] by [[Madhuri Vijay]] I have extremely mixed feelings about this book, and I see that many other readers share the same reaction. One the plus side are the beautiful, detailed descriptions of the Kashmiri landscape and the struggles of the people living there. On the downside: the ending, which left me frustrated, with no sense of closure, and not particularly liking the protagonist. The novel begins with Shalini, a 20-something living with her widowed father in Bangalore, trying to figure out her life—especially her conflicted relationship with the mother who randomly doted on and ignored her. Despite this, Shalini always felt close to her mother, in large part due to a secret in which she was forced to share. When she was a child, a Kashmiri clothes salesman appeared at the door, and for some reason, her mother took a liking to him and invited him in for tea and conversation. Bashir Ahmed told magical stories that delighted both mother and daughter, and over the years, he would return many times between his visits to see his family in Kashmir. Although Shalini never understood why, her father was never told about Bashir’s visits—until the day he answered the salesman’s knock. A kind and generous man who was intrigued by a conversations about the ongoing war in Kashmir, he invites Bashir to stay in the family guest room. This decision ultimately leads to Bashir’s sudden, final disappearance. Years later, after her mother’s death, Shalini becomes obsessed with a desire to find Bashir, but the only clue she has to his whereabouts is the name of a district—Kishtwar—mentioned in one of his stories. Her journey begins the larger, more active, and more interesting part of the novel. As she journeys deeper into the heart of Kashmir, the lives of its people, and even Bashir’s family, she learns more about the effects of the ongoing conflicts between the militants and the Indian army. Although it starts to feel like a coming of age story, unfortunately, at least for this reader, the anticipated moment of self-realization and change never quite comes, and I found her naiveté, thoughtlessness, and selfishness rather repellent. Still, those descriptions of Kashmir and the struggles of its people are a saving grace, leading me to give this novel four stars. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #129,364 in Kindle Store ( See Top 100 in Kindle Store ) #162 in Asian American & Pacific Islander Literature eBooks #181 in Asian American & Pacific Islander Literature (Books) #306 in Political Fiction (Kindle Store) | ## Images ![The Far Field: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81dTBfQ7lyL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Sensitive First Novel Concerning Progressive Decline in Western Social Sensibility *by L***. on January 31, 2021* "From the beginning, I adored Suneyna for her shy smile and her habit of unconsciously reaching out to touch me whenever we were working. Her little hand would wander out and graze some part of my face, my chin or nose, and then she would go on as before, busily choosing blocks, unaware that she had shaken me deeply." Such is one of the more compelling small moments in Madhuri Vijay's first novel, "The Far Field." These little beats of simple action are all the more welcome as they randomly emerge amidst a very grim fictional though realistic landscape. The protagonist, Shalini, from Bangalore, India, journeys northeast to Kashmir, soon after she has arrived at an uncertain crossroads in her life at age 30. She resolves to look for someone who she greatly admired when she was young. She is as emotionally involving as a well-drawn but very updated Dickens protagonist. The characters are so vivid in this story, especially the people of the mountain villages. There is an openess, a direct manner of address that Vijay captures in the various people Shalini meets. Their warmth is unique and nicely contrasts with Shalini's more remote less trusting more cautious big city manner. There are the barest of small mud and wood houses though clean and optimized for spartan habitation that overlook mountain meadows. Another world. In Vijay's short story, "You Are My Dear Friend" emotions are held back within the actions of the protagonist or do not seem to exist when there is conflict. Although "The Far Field" might be characterized as a womens' novel, the men are not stereotyped and are as interestingly drawn as the women. Kashmir is such a mindless tragedy of a once very beautiful place that keeps continually replaying the brutal disconnect between Hindus and Muslims after the Partition of India in 1947. In modern times, emotional sensitivity is regarded as mental weakness and psychotic emotional overreaction is seen as a more normal though slightly sick form of mental control over others. Variously seen as progressive or not really but nevertheless necessary though degraded, "The Far Field" probes the obscene collateral damage of polarizing hatred and plain ignorance. It is a very fine first novel by a sensitive writer who brilliantly contrasts the lack of feeling or emotion in our modern geopolitical landscape where different ideas and singular individual differences are not to be tolerated in the best interests of an outwardly benevolent one world attitude. Excellent writers and poets chart the changes in the emotional and philosophical social-sphere as T. S. Eliot did in "The Wasteland" or Anthony Burgess in "A Clockwork Orange". "The Far Field" would make an awesome film about Kashmir to join "Haider" and "Fitoor" in its finest moments. The renown Hindi actor, Tabu would be perfect as Shalini's mother. It could be produced by Anushka Sharma's film production company, Clean Slate Filmz, for theatrical release after the pandemic. Ironically proving the point of Vijay's novel, it would actually be virtually impossible to shoot the film in Kashmir. So an excellent film location expert would need to scout a substitute location. And a skilled diplomat would also be needed to deal with any reservations film censors may have regarding the making of such a film in and about India. "The Far Field" displays a mature emotional feeling that doesn't seem to appeal as much to American readers as much as it once did in earlier American writers. It's emotional landscape is very relatable to today's tough times all over the world. The emotions and travails that Americans face are very similar to those that middle or lower upper class professional people experience in India or anywhere else in the world. The gulf between the well-monied and privileged people's existence contrasted to the more ordinary living of everyday people has never been as extreme as it is today. "The Far Field" wisely observes interactions among urban outsiders not at all aware of the maybe more ordinary but "different" in some ways, people of innately unique spiritual substance that they might meet. One caveat. It is quite sad but not anymore so than the pandemic and everything else that is wrong in the world these days. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mixed Feelings on This One *by C***A on May 25, 2019* [The Far Field] by [[Madhuri Vijay]] I have extremely mixed feelings about this book, and I see that many other readers share the same reaction. One the plus side are the beautiful, detailed descriptions of the Kashmiri landscape and the struggles of the people living there. On the downside: the ending, which left me frustrated, with no sense of closure, and not particularly liking the protagonist. The novel begins with Shalini, a 20-something living with her widowed father in Bangalore, trying to figure out her life—especially her conflicted relationship with the mother who randomly doted on and ignored her. Despite this, Shalini always felt close to her mother, in large part due to a secret in which she was forced to share. When she was a child, a Kashmiri clothes salesman appeared at the door, and for some reason, her mother took a liking to him and invited him in for tea and conversation. Bashir Ahmed told magical stories that delighted both mother and daughter, and over the years, he would return many times between his visits to see his family in Kashmir. Although Shalini never understood why, her father was never told about Bashir’s visits—until the day he answered the salesman’s knock. A kind and generous man who was intrigued by a conversations about the ongoing war in Kashmir, he invites Bashir to stay in the family guest room. This decision ultimately leads to Bashir’s sudden, final disappearance. Years later, after her mother’s death, Shalini becomes obsessed with a desire to find Bashir, but the only clue she has to his whereabouts is the name of a district—Kishtwar—mentioned in one of his stories. Her journey begins the larger, more active, and more interesting part of the novel. As she journeys deeper into the heart of Kashmir, the lives of its people, and even Bashir’s family, she learns more about the effects of the ongoing conflicts between the militants and the Indian army. Although it starts to feel like a coming of age story, unfortunately, at least for this reader, the anticipated moment of self-realization and change never quite comes, and I found her naiveté, thoughtlessness, and selfishness rather repellent. Still, those descriptions of Kashmir and the struggles of its people are a saving grace, leading me to give this novel four stars. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Loved this but not for everyone *by T***R on June 18, 2022* The writing was excellent in this book, descriptions glorious, fabulous metaphors. The story was very unique and compelling. The settings, in various parts of India, mostly Bangalore and Kashmir, were rich with details and transported me to a place and culture that I found fascinating. Including the political problems in that region was also something I enjoyed reading about because it was not anything I’ve read about before and it’s important to understand. Other reviewers complained about the ending and the characters. Not all characters are sweet and endearing. Certainly the mother in this book was a difficult person, but her specific kind of difficult is fascinating and interesting. The main character has grown up in a privileged life, and she’s young. She is flawed as all good characters should be. The story is in some ways a coming of age story, a story about some truths that she uncovers. I’m not sure why the readers who wanted more from the ending couldn’t figure that out and be satisfied. For me, the second half of the book was very fast paced. Vijay does a great job with tension. I thought the author did an excellent job with the entire novel—and it is a first novel! I look forward to the next novel by Vijay. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.no/products/116412304-the-far-field-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.no/products/116412304-the-far-field-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart Norway* *Store origin: NO* *Last updated: 2026-10-12*