Everything the Light Touches

In Janice Pariat’s captivating novel, “Everything the Light Touches,” a diverse cast of travelers takes center stage. Meet Shai, a young Indian woman who embarks on a transformative journey to India’s northeast, where encounters with indigenous communities awaken her to rediscovered ways of life. Enter Evelyn, an Edwardian student at Cambridge, driven by Goethe’s botanical writings to venture into the sacred forests of the Lower Himalayas. Linnaeus, the renowned botanist and taxonomist, leads an expedition to Lapland in 1732, famously declaring, “God creates; Linnaeus organizes.” And Goethe himself, exploring Italy in the 1780s, formulates revolutionary ideas for a text that challenges our inclination to reduce plants and the world into static fragments.

Drawing inspiration from scientific concepts, this novel immerses readers in a swirling tapestry of expanding themes, delving into the contrasts between modern India and its colonial past, urban landscapes and rural realms, capitalism and the enduring traditions of generosity and gratitude, written words and the timeless essence of song and stone. At its core, the book unveils a captivating struggle between different ways of perceiving the world—one that fixates and categorizes, and another that liberates and unifies.

The novel deftly weaves together disparate people and places, initially seemingly distant in time and location, only to reveal their profound resonance and interconnectedness. With startling and playful novelty, Janice Pariat unites these diverse threads, inviting readers to explore the deep bonds that transcend temporal and spatial boundaries. Prepare to embark on a literary journey that challenges perceptions, celebrates the power of connection, and invites us to reexamine our place within the vibrant tapestry of existence.