Book Review: The House of Promise by Indrajit Garai

“Life’s length doesn’t define its quality; the living experience does. Errors are life’s liberty. What we do with our errors decides our identity. The wrong teach more than the right. Some take errors for waste and commit more; others learn, keep their lessons, and move on.”

Indrajit Garai, The House of Promise

Review:

I’ve read a number of Indrajit Garai’s books by now and all of them have impressed me. The House of Promise, however, I found to be exceptional. Given the time gaps between each of the books I’ve read, I’m struggling to pinpoint exactly what the difference is, but it’s there, and I’m all for it. 

The story mainly follows Ignaçio, a farm owner, but also Nuria and their involvement with a bull named Victor. In a way, I felt like the book was reminiscent of The Sun Also Rises as bullfighting is a central plot point, but this comparison is for extremely superficial reasons. The House of Promise takes a much deeper and a much more realistic look at this subject, particularly through the eyes of Ignaçio and his struggles surrounding the sport on personal and political levels. 

Although I found the brutal depictions of what the animals go through upsetting, the way it was written was so well-crafted that it resonated in a way that it outweighed the visuals for me. I enjoyed watching Ingaçio’s internal journey, which often ventured into a philosophical nature. 

I believe this is the longest novel this author has written, and it’s undoubtedly my favorite! I look forward to whatever comes next. 

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• The brutal honesty about the suffering bulls face.
• Exquisite writing.

What I didn’t like:

• This has to be between like and dislike. The slaughter scenes were especially upsetting. (Which was the point.)

Afterthoughts:

Thanks to Estelle for letting me know that this book had recently published and for offering to send me a free digital copy! Since this is on KindleUnlimited, I opted to read it there.

Where to buy the book: