Book Review: ‘Unknown City’ by Amitabha Bagchi

Book Title: Unknown City: A Novel
Author: Amitabha Bagchi
Publisher: HarperCollins India
Number of Pages: 332
ISBN: 978-9365694024
Date Published: Jan. 20, 2025
Price: INR 389

Book Review

What happens when a man, now in the middle of his life, looks back at the relationships of his youth with the clarity that only time can provide?

Can self-reflection truly offer redemption, or does it only deepen the weight of past mistakes?

Amitabha Bagchi’s “Unknown City” is a reflective and deeply personal novel that explores love, regret, and self-awareness through the lens of its narrator-protagonist, Arindam Chatterjee. A nearly fifty-year-old novelist and professor, Arindam revisits his past relationships, seeking to understand what went wrong. His story unfolds across American university towns and India, where he navigates the complexities of love, masculinity, and self-absorption. The novel is a brave exploration of how gendered experiences shape one’s understanding of relationships, highlighting the painful realization that true clarity often comes only in hindsight—when the moment to act has already passed.

Through a series of intimate recollections, Arindam examines his relationships with three significant women—Supriya, Lisa, and Razia—each of whom wanted something from him that he failed to provide. Supriya, a history student, sought laughter and companionship, but Arindam, trapped in intellectual posturing, could not meet her on equal emotional ground. Lisa, an activist, needed stability and understanding, yet he remained oblivious to her struggles with depression. Razia, a fellow writer, desired passion, but he treated her more as a healer for his own wounds than as an individual with her own needs. As Arindam revisits these experiences, he confronts the uncomfortable truth that his past self was often too consumed by his own identity to truly see his partners as full, complex people.

The book is divided into four parts, with a well-structured layout and a comfortable font that enhances the reading experience. The thoughtful page design allows readers to immerse themselves effortlessly in the story. Additionally, the inclusion of translations for non-English words after the epilogue adds depth and accessibility, making the narrative even more engaging.

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“Unknown City” is a courageous and insightful novel that delves into the self-awareness of a man recognizing his past mistakes. Bagchi’s prose, rich with introspection, does not shy away from the pitfalls of male privilege and self-absorption, making it a compelling read that challenges the reader to reflect on their own understanding of love and relationships. As Arindam himself notes in ‘Above Average, “It is a blessing to be understood, and an even greater blessing to be granted understanding”—a sentiment that resonates deeply throughout this novel.

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