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Beneath a Marble Sky: A Love Story ReviewWriting historical fiction is a challenging endeavor. Not only does the author need to know how to do historical research-and actually do it-they must then construct an engaging story that will grab a reader who knows little about the era the story is set in. I once knew a fellow student who took an undergraduate historical research seminar with me just because she wanted to write historical fiction. She simultaneously was working on a master's degree in English. I couldn't understand why someone would think they needed so many classes just to write novels. Fortunately, writer John Shors seems to have conquered the techniques of this genre, as evidenced by his fascinating book "Beneath a Marble Sky: A Novel of the Taj Mahal." I cannot say I am an expert on Mughal India, having only covered it superficially in a couple of World Civilizations courses during my undergraduate career, but the story does jibe with what I remember about sixteenth and seventeenth century India. Obviously, Shors took substantial liberties with the finer points of his story, inventing many incidents and moving some of the places around, but the background information seems solid.
"Beneath a Marble Sky" is a story told in flashback by Jahanara, the favorite daughter of the Mughal leader Shah Jahan (ruled 1628-1658) and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Her early life is one of luxury and play tempered by a burgeoning sense of responsibility about her future role as a representative of a Muslim emperor ruling over a majority Hindu state. Even as she swims in the river with her brothers Dara and Aurangzeb, or gossips with her Hindu friend Ladli, Jahanara knows that one day she will marry someone of importance to the empire. In the meantime she spends a large amount of time with her beautiful mother, learning how to overcome the obstacles placed in the way of women in a Muslim dominated court. She also begins to see the strains between her brother Aurangzeb and the rest of the family, strains that will one day explode into a series of disasters for the Mughal Empire. Still, Jahanara is content in her youth, enjoying the world around her through the innocent eyes of a child.
As Jahanara grows into a beautiful young woman resembling in no small way her mother, storm clouds appear on the horizon. Her parents marry her off to the sleazy Khondamir, a wealthy silver merchant who only wants Jahanara as a wife to increase his power with the court. This marriage removes the young princess from the day-to-day activities of the court, where the power struggles to succeed Shah Jahan begin in earnest. Aurangzeb, his hatred for the family growing by leaps and bounds, has been spending an enormous amount of time leading the military in campaigns against the Persians in the North and the Deccans in the South. His brother Dara, on the other hand, remains at home studying philosophy and religion. Jahanara worries about Dara's indifference to all things relating to the throne, and tries to warn her brother about the risks posed by Aurangzeb. Meanwhile, Mumtaz Mahal dies while giving birth to a child, thus leading Shah Jahan to build a mausoleum to memorialize his beloved wife. The emperor employs Isa, a talented architect, to build what will become the Taj Mahal. Jahanara helps Isa in this arduous task, which allows her to escape the wily Khondamir for a time. The chore allows Jahanara to show off her intelligence, as well as letting her reenter the political intrigues in the court. On numerous occasions, the princess saves members of her family from Aurangzeb's wrath using only the wits she inherited from her savvy mother. I won't spoil the rest of the story, but twists and turns aplenty abound right up to the last page.
Maybe it's just me, but I thought Shors's writing style resembled in no small way those wonderful translations of "1001 Nights" and similar tales of the Orient. You get an amazing sense of what it must have felt like to stroll through a bazaar, with its exotic sights, smells, and sounds. You also get a strong feel for power politics in an eastern imperial family, which, to no surprise, is about the same as it would be in a European monarchy. The best part of the book in my opinion is Aurangzeb's religious orthodoxy. Here's a guy whose strict Muslim beliefs lead him to brand members of his own family as heretics worthy of execution. Regrettably for the Mughal Empire, the Muslims were a minority in a Hindu country. Aurangzeb hated this majority and punished them accordingly when he assumed the throne. The resulting chaos eventually set the stage for the British conquest of India. In the book, the reader cannot help but see shades of Osama Bin Laden lurking behind the actions and words of Aurangzeb. At first I thought attributing these traits to Jahan's son was anachronistic, but it's not. Aurangzeb really was an Islamic fanatic. As the empire teeters on the brink of annihilation, the Taj Mahal towers in the background, a monument to love surrounded by so much hate and suffering.
Give John Shors's book a go if you love historical fiction. It's a great read about a period of history most westerners know nothing about. The quick pace, wonderful atmosphere, and the major and minor themes in the book will resonate with readers. I have only seen pictures of the Taj Mahal, and will probably never get over to India to see it in person, so reading this book was sort of a substitute for a lengthy trip. I have already recommended the book to a few people I know, and I think you will do the same after you read it.
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