Kim by Rudyard Kipling

On the face of it, Kim is a coming of age story of a boy in colonial India. But it is so much more than that. Kipling gives us a tapestry of life and lives in late 19th Century India under British rule. We learn about the collage of religions and cultures that co-existed in India (and modern day Pakistan) as well as much of the rest of Central Asia. This is all set in the context of "The Great Game" which is perhaps best defined as the colonial rivalry between Russia and Great Britain in Central Asia.

Kim O'Hara is a poor orphan boy who has lived on the streets after his native Indian mother died in childbirth and then his Irish-born father, a soldier in the British colonial army, passed away. Throughout the novel, Kim is pulled by both his love of India and its culture (from his early years and from his mother's blood) and his sense of duty to the British (through his father's heritage). Kim is a successful beggar boy on the streets of Lahore, where he seemingly knows and charms everyone and is known as "Friend to All the World." Early in the book, Kim meets an itinerant Buddhist monk who intrigues Kim and to whom Kim becomes a disciple. Kim and the lama then take to the road together in an effort to fulfill each one's prophecy. Kim's destiny comes to him first, as he meets up with and is taken in by his father's old regiment. They insist that Kim must be raised as a "Sahib" with all the attendant benefits of the racial system in place at the time. At the lama's insistence, Kim goes off to be schooled as an Englishman, but he still has his independent streak and insists on "going native" and rambling with his lama when he can. Kim comes to the attention of the British Secret Service and they realize what a useful person Kim would be to them, with his ability to speak the native language and naturally use the native customs. Kim enjoys the thrill of "the Great Game" but also feels he must be true to his lama. In the end, Kim proves himself worthy to both the British Secret Service and to his lama.

Kipling's novel, published in 1901, is still an outstanding work. In fact, I'll go so far as to say it was the best book I've read so far on my list. Because in addition to being a good story, I really feel I learned a lot by reading this novel. I never really thought much about the confluence of cultures in India, let alone much about British rule there (other than that it was extractive colonialism). It was really wonderful to learn about those cultures and the times from someone who lived in them. You have to put it in context of Kipling's traditional racism of the time (remembering that this is the man who gave us "The White Man's Burden"), but he isn't terribly heavy-handed about it. Moreover, he describes how the different cultures have an odd respect and disdain for one another at the same time. For instance, the lama, while Buddhist, is still given the respect due a holy man in Hindu towns and cities. However, certain individuals cast aspersions on his faith, while still trying to curry his favor. It makes for an interesting paradox.

Beyond that, Kipling creates some unforgettable characters. First and foremost, Kim and the Teshoo Lama are amazing character studies. Beyond them, Mahbub Ali, the Kulu woman, Hurree Babu, and Lurgan Sahib are incredibly well-drawn and compelling characters.

In closing, I don't see how some consider Kim to be children's literature. I think those critics don't give the book a deep enough reading. Just because it's about a boy becoming a man, it doesn't mean that it's a boy's book. Kim is a fascinating and well-written book, that I'm putting at the top of the heap of books I've read this year.