I was very interested in the history this book covers — I regrettably never learned about Indo-Asian history in school. The history (and current socio-political state) is very depressing. But beyond the educational value, I did not enjoy this book. The characters felt flat to me — I didn’t have any sense of their self awareness or reflection or realness. It was overall too philosophical and preachy and heady. I especially hated the dialogue. I wasn’t particularly invested in the characters or the “plot” and it wasn’t pleasant or fun to read.