what is the narrative technique and imagery `and characters used in shadow lines by amitav ghoshnothing

Amitav Ghosh is one of the most important Indian English
writer of present time.He mainly deals in the epic themes of travel and diaspora.His
novels relates history ,political struggle,communal violence,love,loss of values etc.He
deliberately crosses the boundary between anthropology and artistic work.His narratives
are catagorically transnational in sweep.His stories move restlessly across
countries,continents and even oceans.His narratives always reflect the wisdom of an
Oxford scholar.His views and opinions are meticulously researched and learned.In every
book an epic scale of scholarship is directly
discernable.

The Shadow lines (1988) reminds the reader of
Salman Rushdie in terms of its formal experimentations with geography and History.But
unlike Rushdie ,Amitav presents the story in an understated,condensed prose that closely
rsembles to poetry.The story moves between India and England,Calcutta(KolKata)and
London,the world war11 and Present day Calcutta society.The author has drawn inspiration
from various East and West texts ,from Proust to Tagore,Ford Madox Ford to Satyajit
Roy.The title of Ghosh's 2nd novel is certainly an allusion to Conrad's novella,The
Shadow Line.Structurally the narrative is co-herent and
balanced.

Characters are realistic portrayals from life
itself.Most of the characters are round .The characters are clearly presented through
various live imageries.---(to be coninued)