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The Grasshopper's Run
Book by Sarma, Siddhartha
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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125 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 16, 2011
'The Grasshopper's Run' won the Crossword Award for the best children’s book of 2010, but it's really a YA or even an adult novel. Spurred by curiosity, I scoured the shops for it, and finally managed to buy it online. And was simply blown away by Siddhartha Sarma’s unflinching honesty, his ability to enter into the mind of an adolescent boy, his evocative portrayal of a land and its people, and his clean, virile and yet sensitive prose; as well as by the touching story of a friendship. This is truly the best Indian YA book I have read.
1944. The invasion of the Imperial Japanese army. An entire tribal village in the hills of the Northeast is wiped out by a psychotic Japanese colonel. Gojen Rajkhowa, the young protagonist, is intent on avenging the murder of his best friend. To call The Grasshopper’s Run a war novel is to simplify a complex experience. As much as it is about revenge, this book is also about love and loyalty between the members (and honorary members) of a tribe; about the social and political life of the Ao Naga tribe; and about a mission that transforms one boy into a man. It is a way of life that is unfamiliar to most of us; and yet it is familiar. It is the stuff of racial memory and legend. Honour, heroism and justice are real currency here. With so much crammed into one little book, it would have been easy to lay it on with a heavy hand. But Sarma’s treatment is masterly. Every emotion is nuanced and subtle; every word picture is stark and beautiful. Importantly, the painstaking research is woven unobtrusively into the background.
The prologue is perhaps unnecessarily violent for a young adult book. It almost put me off, but I read on � partly in consideration of ‘paisa vasool� (getting my money's worth) and partly out of curiosity. There is a whole chapter on guns and shooting, which seems a little excessive. It might interest some readers, though, as it does ‘the boy� � the hero of this novel. Other than this, my only crib with the book is that the back blurb is almost impossible to read. I ask you, who puts white text on a squiggly yellow background? And who but the most determined reader will pick up a book if she can’t read the blurb?
Cribs apart, I loved this book, and was moved by it. And though I would still worry about what a YA reader might make of it, I would strongly recommend it to any adult. A warning: If you were hooked by the intriguing title, practise patience. You will have to wait till the last chapter to find out why it is called that.
1944. The invasion of the Imperial Japanese army. An entire tribal village in the hills of the Northeast is wiped out by a psychotic Japanese colonel. Gojen Rajkhowa, the young protagonist, is intent on avenging the murder of his best friend. To call The Grasshopper’s Run a war novel is to simplify a complex experience. As much as it is about revenge, this book is also about love and loyalty between the members (and honorary members) of a tribe; about the social and political life of the Ao Naga tribe; and about a mission that transforms one boy into a man. It is a way of life that is unfamiliar to most of us; and yet it is familiar. It is the stuff of racial memory and legend. Honour, heroism and justice are real currency here. With so much crammed into one little book, it would have been easy to lay it on with a heavy hand. But Sarma’s treatment is masterly. Every emotion is nuanced and subtle; every word picture is stark and beautiful. Importantly, the painstaking research is woven unobtrusively into the background.
The prologue is perhaps unnecessarily violent for a young adult book. It almost put me off, but I read on � partly in consideration of ‘paisa vasool� (getting my money's worth) and partly out of curiosity. There is a whole chapter on guns and shooting, which seems a little excessive. It might interest some readers, though, as it does ‘the boy� � the hero of this novel. Other than this, my only crib with the book is that the back blurb is almost impossible to read. I ask you, who puts white text on a squiggly yellow background? And who but the most determined reader will pick up a book if she can’t read the blurb?
Cribs apart, I loved this book, and was moved by it. And though I would still worry about what a YA reader might make of it, I would strongly recommend it to any adult. A warning: If you were hooked by the intriguing title, practise patience. You will have to wait till the last chapter to find out why it is called that.
December 4, 2013
The book is set in during the 2nd world war in the north-east region of India, mainly Assam. As debut novels come, this is most certainly in the very well written category. It also went on to receive the Vodafone Crossword and Bal Sahitya awards. All the details are well researched and cleanly explained. Siddhartha Sarma’s job as a journalist definitely seemed to help make the book feel professional. The book is supposed to be for 9-12 year olds as the language is easy and not over the top but the content makes it more appropriate for 15-20 year olds.
The novel is based on 13 year old Gojen and how he decided to deal with his best friend’s death. To story starts on a serious and factual note and the same tone is maintained throughout the novel. It is a war novel and like other war novels it involved the particulars of the war like who’s fighting whom, the situation of surrounding areas and the allies, position of both sides etc.
Apart from Gojen, we also get to read small third person narratives, of three other characters, one from the British and two from the Japanese side, at regular intervals. These narratives are useful in giving different perspectives to the story. In the process they make it more interesting since Gojen is on a personal mission, to take revenge on the killer of his friend. But the narratives show us the position of the ongoing war and how both sides are fighting it and where the mistakes are being made that’ll decide the fate of it.
The strong point of the story is also somehow the weak point too, the way it’s told. A good novel is one that will give something to every kind of reader. The writer has kept the nature of the novel as an accurate depiction of the events exactly as they go on. We get to know about Gojen’s character through his actions but other characters were more or less left undeveloped.
The novel would have made a great historical account, if it was true. So much effort was given to the facts and details that the emotions were left out. A small paragraph here and there about how the characters ware feeling would have gone a long way in pleasing readers like me who like to connect with the characters.
It is certainly a very well written and well edited book but it could have been made more interesting by experimenting with the emotions.
The novel is based on 13 year old Gojen and how he decided to deal with his best friend’s death. To story starts on a serious and factual note and the same tone is maintained throughout the novel. It is a war novel and like other war novels it involved the particulars of the war like who’s fighting whom, the situation of surrounding areas and the allies, position of both sides etc.
Apart from Gojen, we also get to read small third person narratives, of three other characters, one from the British and two from the Japanese side, at regular intervals. These narratives are useful in giving different perspectives to the story. In the process they make it more interesting since Gojen is on a personal mission, to take revenge on the killer of his friend. But the narratives show us the position of the ongoing war and how both sides are fighting it and where the mistakes are being made that’ll decide the fate of it.
The strong point of the story is also somehow the weak point too, the way it’s told. A good novel is one that will give something to every kind of reader. The writer has kept the nature of the novel as an accurate depiction of the events exactly as they go on. We get to know about Gojen’s character through his actions but other characters were more or less left undeveloped.
The novel would have made a great historical account, if it was true. So much effort was given to the facts and details that the emotions were left out. A small paragraph here and there about how the characters ware feeling would have gone a long way in pleasing readers like me who like to connect with the characters.
It is certainly a very well written and well edited book but it could have been made more interesting by experimenting with the emotions.
September 7, 2020
In this award winning debut novel The Grasshopper's Run, Siddhartha Sarma imbibes the culture of The Ao Naga tribe to tell us a lucid tale of the bond of brotherhood that extends beyond death. Set against the turbulent backdrop of World War 2, this is a gripping slice of historical fiction.
The Japani infiltrate the Naga hills while invading British India. An overconfident Colonel Mori, in an attempt to flush out hidden Ingrez troops, orders the massacre of all the Ao villagers in a secluded mountain. Uti, grandson of the Chief, puts up a brave fight but is mercilessly slaughtered. While the powerful Ingrez and Japani forces strategize and clash in Naga terrain, Uti's grandfather quietly organises a handpicked team of surefooted raiders to assassinate Colonel Mori. Gojen (the Grasshopper) is Uti's closest friend who grew up as his brother. No amount of fine clothes, table manners or British education at the missionary boarding school, can erase his filial loyalty.
Armed with confidential information about Mori, Gojen runs away from school and home on a rusty bicycle with a stolen rifle to catch up with the team of raiders. Siddhartha Sarma describes their tribal instinct to message each other through bird calls, to be immobile, to watch and wait when on a hunt. Hunting deer or wild boar is child's play as they know it's every habit and can calculate its moves accurately. Applying the same knowledge he learnt at the morung -(the Naga youth dormitory), Gojen studies Mori's photograph and relentlessly meditates on their next course of action.
While the larger forces- both Japani and Ingrez try to outsmart each other, this silent team launches a surprise attack to overthrow Colonel Mori. Although headhunters in the past, the Nagas were not to bring back his head. They instead strip him of his special sword and his collar of stars. Naga habits woven with dexterity to mould fascinating characters, this tale is mesmerising.
The Japani infiltrate the Naga hills while invading British India. An overconfident Colonel Mori, in an attempt to flush out hidden Ingrez troops, orders the massacre of all the Ao villagers in a secluded mountain. Uti, grandson of the Chief, puts up a brave fight but is mercilessly slaughtered. While the powerful Ingrez and Japani forces strategize and clash in Naga terrain, Uti's grandfather quietly organises a handpicked team of surefooted raiders to assassinate Colonel Mori. Gojen (the Grasshopper) is Uti's closest friend who grew up as his brother. No amount of fine clothes, table manners or British education at the missionary boarding school, can erase his filial loyalty.
Armed with confidential information about Mori, Gojen runs away from school and home on a rusty bicycle with a stolen rifle to catch up with the team of raiders. Siddhartha Sarma describes their tribal instinct to message each other through bird calls, to be immobile, to watch and wait when on a hunt. Hunting deer or wild boar is child's play as they know it's every habit and can calculate its moves accurately. Applying the same knowledge he learnt at the morung -(the Naga youth dormitory), Gojen studies Mori's photograph and relentlessly meditates on their next course of action.
While the larger forces- both Japani and Ingrez try to outsmart each other, this silent team launches a surprise attack to overthrow Colonel Mori. Although headhunters in the past, the Nagas were not to bring back his head. They instead strip him of his special sword and his collar of stars. Naga habits woven with dexterity to mould fascinating characters, this tale is mesmerising.
September 24, 2021
Loved going through the well crafted words, lines and paras as much as the characters in it passionately traversed through the slopes and ridges of the Naga hills back during the times of the world war II with their unique mission in mind. It's been an excitingly detailed adventurous journey through those interesting hills with the locals for company for the reader in me. I wish i could embark on such a journey for real! The author has evidently done a lot of research on the arms and ammunition used by the army during the war and there is lot to explore for an enthusiast in that sphere. Overall a beautiful work of writing worth giving a read.
September 22, 2023
I found the style awkward. It's not really a thriller, and certainly not a literary novel. So it's in a sort of no man's land. What perhaps made it worth reading was that it dealt with an aspect of the Second World War that maybe in the West we don't always hear much about; and it's also unusual to have the perspective of Assamese and others in this part of India/Burma.
May 11, 2012
In TGR, history meets fiction in a way that makes you look at things in a rather different way.
The grief of a young boy who has lost his best friend, coupled with his urge to avenge his death and all of that emotional upheaval, finely meshed with a meticulous military-like planning and boldness -- was what impressed me the most. Without any announcement or felicitation of his bravery, you can see how the boy becomes a man.
Siddhartha's narrative doesn't try to be smart, yet it very subtly and maturely deals with something as serious and political as the World War II and Nagaland's role in it. Blame my lack of interest and ignorance, but at some points, historical and military jargon does seem overwhelming, but it doesnt stop you from reading on.
The grief of a young boy who has lost his best friend, coupled with his urge to avenge his death and all of that emotional upheaval, finely meshed with a meticulous military-like planning and boldness -- was what impressed me the most. Without any announcement or felicitation of his bravery, you can see how the boy becomes a man.
Siddhartha's narrative doesn't try to be smart, yet it very subtly and maturely deals with something as serious and political as the World War II and Nagaland's role in it. Blame my lack of interest and ignorance, but at some points, historical and military jargon does seem overwhelming, but it doesnt stop you from reading on.
April 27, 2012
proud to say that the authors a friend :) very well written and thoroughly researched debut.. way to go siddharth!
May 28, 2012
Gojen revenge for Uti on Commander Mori of Japanese Army
WW2 in India
Involved the natives, Japanese, and British
WW2 in India
Involved the natives, Japanese, and British
February 17, 2016
This is a stand-out example of Indian YA fiction. The story is compelling and teaches a lot about an almost ignored aspect of what we westerners are taught about WWII. The writing is fantastic.
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