The Conch Bearer

When we first meet 12-year-old Anand, he is carrying an armload of dishes through a crowded tea stall of Kolkata, India. His sister is sick, and his mother depends on the little he brings home. But he's a gentle boy, not hardened by this environment, kind to others, and, most of all, he believes in the magic of dreams. That is why those who keep the conch come to him for help. Somehow whorled into this conch are great powers, and it must be returned. Reader Alan Cumming's voice echoes with this mysterious energy and the noisy streets of India. It has that delicate hint of the Indian English dialect that is at once so precise and so distant, in a story that suggests both the magic of Harry Potter and the grit of Dickens's OLIVER TWIST. Both story and reader are pungent with the spiced tea and the spiked lightning of Anand's fantasy, if it is fantasy. P.E.F. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

December 15, 2003
Though he sounds a trifle over-eager at first, giving descriptions a perhaps too enthusiastic oomph, Cumming soon hits his stride as narrator of this fantasy-laced story about the unusual adventures of an Indian boy. Twelve-year-old Anand, who works hard at the local marketplace for his financially struggling family, finds himself recruited to embark on a special journey. Anand is to assist a healer named Abhaydatta on a trek into the Himalayas to return a stolen conch shell that has magical powers to its rightful home. Nisha, a young street urchin, tags along on the trip, and throughout, the trio is pursued by the nasty thief who originally stole the shell. The sort of remarkable creatures and dangers that fantasy readers might expect appear along the way. But in addition, many listeners will be riveted to the many vivid details about the exotic settings—a bustling Calcutta/Kolkata and the storied mountain range and its surroundings. Happily, Cumming does not exaggerate the Indian accents while giving each character distinction. Ages 8-up.

Starred review from August 18, 2003
Divakaruni (The Mistress of Spices) makes her children's book debut with this exotic novel, in which fantasy threads intertwine with spiritual teachings. While 12-year-old Anand is at work one day at a tea stall in Kolkata, India, he offers a beggar man his own ration of tea and pooris, only to discover that the man is a healer, Abhaydatta. Abhaydatta enlists Anand's help in his mission to return a sacred conch shell to the community of Master Healers that live in the Himalayas. The way in which Abhaydatta wins Anand's confidence is just a preview of the magic and miracles to follow (he heals Anand's sister, who had stopped speaking after witnessing a murder). A street urchin joins the pair on their journey; Surabhanu, the one who stole the conch from its rightful place in the Himalayas, with powers dark enough to match Abhaydatta's light, dogs their every step; and the journey itself brims with magical beasts and enchanted streams, cliffs and winds. As with any true quest, Anand must look within in order to complete his mission. Divakaruni keeps her tale fresh and riveting with details of India's smells, sights and tastes, with characters that possess both good and evil, and with her exploration of the fine line between faith and magic. Young readers can only hope for more from this master storyteller. Ages 8-up.