River of Smoke

“Opium is like the wind or the tides: it is outside my power to affect its course. A man is neither good nor evil because he sails his ship upon the wind. It is his conduct towards those around him – his friends, his family, his servants – by which he must be judged”

– Amitav Ghosh, River of Smoke

River of Smoke, is a novel on trade, empire, and cultural encounter in the age of the Opium Wars. The story is set in Canton in the 1830s, where the novel shifts from the sea-bound drama of Sea of Poppies (first in the Ibis trilogy ) to a more contemplative, cosmopolitan world shaped by commerce and ideas.

Canton, in this story is neither completely Chinese nor European, it’s a place where merchants, sailors, painters, and exiles coexist uneasily. Characters such as the opium trader Bahram Modi and the painter Robin Chinnery are not heroic figures but moral intermediaries, caught between profit and conscience. Through them, Ghosh explores how global capitalism takes root not only through violence, but also through everyday transactions, friendships, and compromises.

The novel is dense, patient, and immersive, demanding attentive reading. Historical detail is worn lightly, yet it is a critique of imperial greed and cultural misunderstanding. Unlike conventional historical fiction, River of Smoke resists dramatic climax, choosing instead to trace the slow, inexorable drift toward catastrophe.

‘River of Smoke’, a brilliant historical fiction set in late 19th century China is my “Read of the week”.