The Serpent and the Rope
Raja Rao · 1908–2006 · India
Why it matters
A Brahmin scholar's marriage to a Frenchwoman becomes the occasion for an extended meditation on Vedanta, illusion, and the gulf between Indian and Western metaphysics. Rao's densest novel, and the one many consider his true masterpiece.
At a glance
philosophical novelautobiographical fiction
Difficulty 8/10slow pace448 pagesLong philosophical digressions on Vedantic thought outweigh plot for extended stretches.
Where to go next
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