GUN ISLAND
AMITAV GHOSH
Amitav Ghosh is a critically acclaimed Indian writer who has penned both fiction and non-
fiction, and whose works have been translated into more than 30 languages. He has received
numerous national and international awards for his writing over the years. For example, The
Calcutta Chromosome (1995) won the Arthur C. Clarke Award; Sea of Poppies (2008) was
shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize; and the author has also received a Padma Shri, one of
India’s highest honors, as well as the Jnanpith Award, India’s highest literary honor
(“Biography.” Amitav Ghosh).
Summary of GUN ISLAND
Written by Amitav Ghosh in 2019, Gun Island focuses on the adventures of narrator Deen
Dutta, an Indian rare books dealer living and working in America, as his fascination with the
Bengali folk legend of the Gun Merchant unexpectedly connects him to a varied cast of people,
cultures, and countries. Gun Island contains many elements of magical realism. The book also
explores a variety of themes, including The Conflict Between Humans and Nature and The
Politics of Travel and Movement, and it also explores the dynamics of storytelling that links
the past and the present.
Part 1: The Legend of the Gun Merchant (Kolkata & the Sundarbans)
The novel begins with Deen Datta, a Bengali-American rare books dealer based in Brooklyn,
returning to Kolkata for a visit. While there, his childhood friend Nilima Bose, a marine
biologist, tells him about an obscure legend from the Sundarbans—the tale of the "Gun
Merchant" (Bonduki Sadagar).
According to folklore, the Gun Merchant was a wealthy trader cursed by Manasa Devi, the
goddess of snakes, for disrespecting her. Fleeing her wrath, he built a temple in a faraway land
(interpreted as Venice) but remained trapped in a cycle of exile and disaster. Intrigued, Deen
travels to the Sundarbans with Tipu, a brash young man connected to Nilima’s NGO, and Rafi,
a mysterious Bangladeshi refugee.
In the Sundarbans, they visit Lusibari, where an elderly scholar, Monsa, recounts the
legend.
They find an abandoned shrine linked to the Gun Merchant, filled with eerie snake
imagery.
A king cobra appears, seemingly watching Deen, reinforcing the myth’s supernatural
undertones.
Part 2: Signs of a Changing World (Cyclones, Animal Migrations, and Omens)
Deen returns to Kolkata but witnesses strange phenomena:
Unusual animal behavior: Spiders swarm cities, dolphins flee polluted rivers.
A massive cyclone hits the Sundarbans, displacing thousands.
Tipu and Rafi disappear, rumored to be heading to Europe via illegal routes.
Part 3: Venice—The Gun Merchant’s Legacy
Months later, Deen travels to Venice for a conference and reunites with Cinta, an Italian scholar
studying Bengali folklore. She suggests that the Gun Merchant’s story might be tied to Venice’s
history of trade and slavery.
They discover a 16th-century Bengali inscription in a Venetian church, hinting at the
Gun Merchant’s presence.
Venice itself is flooding—acqua alta (high water) worsens, symbolizing climate
collapse.
Deen meets Piya, a cetologist (whale researcher), who notes marine life behaving
erratically.
Part 4: The Refugee Crisis & Human Displacement
Deen learns that Tipu and Rafi have fled to Europe via Libya, enduring perilous journeys like
many climate refugees. Meanwhile:
Wildfires rage in Los Angeles, where Deen’s nephew lives.
Migrant boats capsize in the Mediterranean, mirroring historical slave trade routes.
Rafi reappears in Sicily, traumatized but alive, while Tipu’s fate remains uncertain.
Part 5: The Revelation & Return
Deen pieces together the legend’s true meaning:
The Gun Merchant’s "curse" was not just divine punishment but a warning about
greed, displacement, and ecological destruction.
Manasa Devi’s presence (through snakes, visions, and disasters) symbolizes nature’s
retaliation against human exploitation.
The novel ends ambiguously—Deen accepts that the world is entering an era of
irreversible change, where myths and reality collide.
Main Characters
1. Deen Datta (Dinanath Datta)
o Role: Protagonist and narrator, a Bengali-American rare-book dealer from
Brooklyn.
o Significance: A skeptical, rational man who becomes entangled in the myth of
the Gun Merchant. His journey mirrors the ancient legend, forcing him to
confront climate change, migration, and the supernatural.
2. Nilima Bose
o Role: Deen’s childhood friend, a marine biologist and NGO worker in the
Sundarbans.
o Significance: Connects Deen to the Gun Merchant legend and represents
scientific pragmatism amid ecological crises.
3. Tipu
o Role: A brash, tech-savvy young man from Lusibari (Sundarbans) working with
Nilima’s NGO.
o Significance: Embodies the restless youth displaced by climate change; his
illegal migration to Europe highlights the refugee crisis.
4. Rafi
o Role: A quiet, traumatized Bangladeshi refugee with a mysterious past.
o Significance: Represents the silent victims of environmental and political
violence; his survival journey parallels historical displacements.
5. Cinta (Lorenza Bernini)
o Role: An Italian scholar studying Bengali folklore and the Gun Merchant
legend.
o Significance: Bridges the past and present, helping Deen uncover links between
Venice and the Sundarbans.
6. Piya
o Role: A cetologist (whale/dolphin researcher) Deen meets in Venice.
o Significance: Symbolizes the intersection of science and mystery; her work on
marine life underscores ecological disruptions.
Secondary Characters
7. Monsa (Munni)
o Role: An elderly woman in Lusibari who knows the Gun Merchant legend.
o Significance: Keeper of oral history, linking myth to contemporary events.
8. Palash
o Role: Deen’s nephew, a climate scientist based in Los Angeles.
o Significance: Represents the younger generation’s engagement with climate
crises.
9. The Gun Merchant (Bonduki Sadagar)
o Role: A mythical 16th-century Bengali trader cursed by Manasa Devi.
o Significance: His story parallels modern exploitation and displacement, serving
as an allegory for climate change.
10. Manasa Devi
Role: The Hindu snake goddess who curses the Gun Merchant.
Significance: Symbolizes nature’s vengeance; her presence (through snakes, visions,
and disasters) blurs the line between myth and reality.
11. Gisa (Luisa)
Role: A Venetian archivist who helps Deen and Cinta.
Significance: Represents Europe’s historical ties to colonial trade and migration.
12. Jarmuli
Role: A fisherman in the Sundarbans who recounts local lore.
Significance: Grounds the story in indigenous knowledge of ecological change.
Minor but Symbolic Characters
The King Cobra – An ominous, recurring snake tied to Manasa Devi’s curse.
The Spider Swarms – Unexplained mass migrations of arachnids, signaling ecological
imbalance.
The Dolphins – Their erratic behavior in Venice’s canals reflects climate-induced
disruptions.
