Loot

(Hardback)

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An epic historical heist novel of plundered treasure, savage empire, lasting love and a young man's dream to make his mark on the world. From an Indian American writer at the height of her powers. 'Addictively absorbing' New York Times Book Review 'Loot held me spellbound from the first page' Maggie O'Farrell An epic tale of plundered treasure, savage empire, lasting love and a young man's dream to make his mark on the world. Meet Abbas. Woodcarver, toy maker, dreamer. Abbas is seventeen when he is whisked away to Tipu Sultan's glorious palace in Mysore. Apprenticed to the legendary clockmaker Monsieur Du Leze, he is ordered to create an ingenious musical tiger to delight Tipu's sons. In the eccentric Du Leze, Abbas finds an unexpected friend who encourages his skill and hunger for learning, and through whom he also meets the unforgettable Jehanne, who has questions and ambitions of her own. But when British soldiers attack and loot Mysore, Abbas's world is turned upside down and his prized tiger is shipped off to a country estate in England. In order to carve out his place in the world, he must follow. A hero's quest, a love story, an exuberant heist novel that traces the bloody legacy of colonialism across the world, Loot is a dazzling, wildly inventive and irresistible feat of storytelling from a writer at the height of her powers.

Reviews

Addictively absorbing * New York Times Book Review *
A novel of wonder and terror and beauty - I was completely captivated by it. * Kamila Shamsie *
Loot held me spellbound from the first page. This is an expertly-plotted, deeply affecting novel about war, displacement, emigration, and an elusive mechanical tiger. * Maggie OFarrell *
I read Loot in a single sitting; it is a wild, dazzling eighteenth-century romp across continents with profound things to say about invention and self-reinvention, class and fate, and the deeply human hunger to create family as both bulwark against loneliness and constant source of light and warmth. * Lauren Groff *
Loot is the most transporting and absorbing novel I've read in ages-a rich tapestry of an epic, thrilling at every turn. This isn't just brilliant writing: It's storytelling of the highest order. * Rebecca Makkai *
A luminous novel of history that explores the far reaches of empire and of human desire, of love, greed, betrayal, and possible redemption. In this genuine page-turner, Tania James does the seemingly impossible: not only does she breathe life into charismatic characters, she repeats the feat with automatons, for crying out loud. Tipu's Tiger might be a stolen artifact in a British museum, but you can hear its roar in these pages. Loot is a historical story that bristles with contemporary urgency. * Rabih Alameddine *
Loot is lovingly drawn and compulsively readable, with all the pleasures and detail of stellar historical fiction * Vulture *
Captivating . . . James is a master miniaturist who can create the illusion of a saga in a chapter. And she's not afraid to radically reset the novel's place and tone. Her pages feel as full as a 19th-century bildungsroman, with collapsing kingdoms, sailing ships and elaborate schemes . . . And her prose is lush with the sights, sounds and smells of India, France and England, and always laced with Dickensian wit * The Washington Post *
James's ravishing prose and trademark blend of lyricism and suspense animate this ingenious caper meets politically acute coming-of-age story * Oprah Daily *
Spanning 50 years and two continents, this rich, compelling novel offers an unflinching look at the violence of imperialism * People Magazine *

Author Bio

Tania James's debut novel Atlas of Unknowns was a New York Times Editor's Choice and was shortlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian literature. She has also written the short story collection Aerogrammes, and her stories have appeared in the New Yorker, Granta, Freeman's- The Future of New Writing, One Story and A Public Space. The Tusk That Did the Damage was shortlisted for the International Dylan Thomas Prize. From 2011 to 2012, Tania James was a Fulbright fellow to India living in New Delhi. She now lives in Washington DC.