Book info

• Title Kim
• Author Rudyard Kipling
• Year 1901
• Genre Classic

Two men - a boy who grows into early manhood and an old ascetic priest, the lama - are at the center of the novel. A quest faces them both. Born in India, Kim is nevertheless white, a sahib. While he wants to play the Great Game of Imperialism, he is also spiritually bound to the lama. His aim, as he moves chameleon-like through the two cultures, is to reconcile these opposing strands, while the lama searches for redemption from the Wheel of Life. A celebration of their friendship in a beautiful but often hostile environment, 'Kim' captures the opulence of India's exotic landscape, overlaid by the uneasy presence of the British Raj.

Thoughts

This was part of the Big Read list I’m working through, otherwise I don’t think I would have picked it up. Kipling’s works have always felt very inaccessible to me, and although I did manage to finish this one, it didn’t really change my opinion.

I quite enjoyed the language, it really made you feel like you were right there. But, having said that, I’m not sure I followed the story at all well. Some of the twists and turns, and ways that Kim managed to escape situations were fun, but when I got to the end, I’m not sure I could have repeated exactly what the point of the book was or what happened.

I’m glad I read it, and it was an interesting one to experience, but it left me more confused than when I started.

Rating: 2 / 5