Love and Longing in Anuradha Roy’s The Earthspinner

Abstract

In her latest novel, The Earthspinner (2021), Anuradha Roy profusely paints a poignant picture of delicate human relationships, giving more profound insights into shared human vulnerabilities. Roy is particularly adept at weaving a sensitive narrative that resonates with her readers. Infused with myth, memory and history, The Earthspinner chronicles the splintered lives of Sarayu, Elango and Chinna over five years. The novel beautifully portrays an artist’s quest for art and how an artist’s dream creation and his beloved are inextricable. Sectarian strife and the madness of fanaticism drive the protagonists towards irretrievable losses and inconceivable fates. The binaries of creation and destruction are skillfully depicted. The voiceless comforter, Chinna, who transgresses social and religious barriers and provides solace with his unconditional love, is the one to be abandoned repeatedly. The loss of and a longing for ‘home’ find prominence throughout the novel. The lapse of five years transforms their lives, but their cravings largely remain unfulfilled. Love for humans is a powerful motivator but it also makes them vulnerable. Unfulfilled longings may lead to a haunting sense of loss, which finds expression in myriad forms within the novel. The narrative is a compelling rendition of love, longing and loss themes. The proposed paper seeks to interpret love from multiple perspectives and understand the diverse longings and scattered losses as sculpted by the author in this work of fiction.