Focus Area – Asia; Focus Country – Myanmar
Charmaine Craig’s mother hails from Myanmar along with her grandparents. The deep connection that the writer shares with Burma is evident from her 2017 book, ‘Miss Burma’. She weaves a beautiful tale of love and war, colonialism and ethnicity and the complexities of different relationships by linking modern-day Myanmar with the older Burma. Through memorable characters such as Benny (based on her grandfather), Khin, and their daughter, Louisa (based on her mother), Craig delivers a powerful novel which asserts that history and fiction can work together to create magic.
Unlike Arundhati Roy’s ‘Ministry of Utmost Happiness’ where historical accounts and contemporary political developments seem to run parallel to the stories of the main protagonists, Craig extinguishes that fine line and the result is an exquisite amalgamation of reality and fiction where the characters reign supreme. The name of the novel may not contribute much to what the novel tries to do. But, it does manage to create a mystery which will take the readers by surprise. Craig’s novel was longlisted for the 2017 National Book Award and the reasons are very clear. The view of Burma as provided by the writer is both enchanting and poignant. The struggle faced by the common people for self-determination and freedom has been brought out vividly by the writer, making it one of the best novels of 2017.
The Envoy 