History has always been elusive—some parts of the jigsaw fit in and some are missing, which are open to speculation. What happened in that time? Who courted whom? These questions and more always prove to be a mystery till someone comes along and writes on the topic, either fiction or non-fiction. Beneath a Marble Sky: A Novel of the Taj by John Shors is one such book.
The time is the seventeenth century. Emperor Shahjahan is grief-stricken after the death of Mumtaz Mahal, his most beloved wife. This is probably one of the most beloved periods of history—when he decides to build a magnificent monument in the memory of his wife, which we all know led to the creation of the Taj Mahal. We are aware of this. Maybe most of us aren’t aware of the stunning Princess Jahanara—the beautiful daughter of the emperor and Mumtaz Mahal. This book takes a slice of life and brings to the reader the life of Jahanara and her ill-fated love Ustad Isa, the architect of the Taj Mahal.
This, in short, is the plot of the book. The story also has several sub-plots running which make it an even more interesting read.
At the core of the book are love stories—of Shahjahan and Mumtaz and of Jahanara and Isa—both tragic and happy in their own right.
Historical fiction isn’t easy to write. The base needs to be strong, the characters need to be etched out extremely well and more than anything else, it has to yet be engaging for the modern reader. Shors does just that with the writing. The landscape of the book does take some time to get into, however once you are taken in, there is no way you will put the book down, till you are done with it.
John Shors has taken a magnificent background and added his own flavour to it—which is the biggest benefit of historical fiction. Events are made believable to an extent that the reader wishes they were true. I think both fiction and non-fiction lovers will take to this book.
The book is made complete by talking about each character—including Aurangzeb who is also in more way than one at the centre of the novel. The love story is gracefully told—the manners of the court, the ways of royalty, the customs and traditions coming shining through in Beneath a Marble Sky.
The nuances are carefully presented. Shors, in most places, also reveals to the reader the broad-mindedness of the emperor as also the rigid customs of the royal family, where perhaps a love story has to be of equals.
Beneath a Marble Sky is a novel of epic proportions. It will make the reader believe in various possibilities of love and at the same time get the heart racing with its pace.
It is a book that will make you think and linger about long after you have finished it. After all, history isn’t created every day.