The Glass Palace

Amitav Ghosh · b. 1956 · India

Why it matters

An orphaned boy rises through Burma's teak trade and marries into the exiled royal family's orbit, his descendants scattering across Burma, India, and Malaya through a century of empire and war. Ghosh's warmest, most sweeping family saga.

At a glance

A large multigenerational cast spans a century, but the prose itself stays clear and accessible.