Immerse yourself in the sights, smells, sounds and tastes of 18th-century India with every turn of the page of Claire Scobie's The Pagoda Tree.
From the rose and sandalwood oil from Mughal Perfumery to the bitterness of Maya's paan and the rapid beat of Thavil drums, the reader is immersed in the beauty and chaos of India.
You can feel the salt spray of the ocean as merchant ships arrive at Madras port and sense the urgency of storms encroaching from the horizon.
Scobie's prose is eloquent. The English author weaves the stories of her main characters seamlessly around the journey of her protagonist Maya - a temple dancer and courtesan whose world unravels as India falls to war. It's a fascinating, unique plot representing an interesting era in the country's history but it's also a story of self discovery and love.
Scobie effortlessly fills the pages of The Pagoda Tree with wonderful imagery.
"One stifling day, in the season of ripe heat, when the fragrance of the frangipani tree thickened the air to honey, Maya was given permission to stay late at the palace," she writes.
The Pagoda Tree is Scobie's first novel and is bound to be popular among the most dedicated non-fiction fans due to her thorough research and detail.
Even if you've never had a desire to travel to India, The Pagoda Tree will convince you otherwise.
* The Pagoda Tree by Claire Scobie is published by Viking, rrp $29.99
