Tiger Hills

Set in southern India, Mandanna's epic if overly dramatic debut follows the fortunes of two intertwined families from the late 19th century to the eve of WWII. Devanna is a young boy when his mother commits suicide, and the one person he relates to is his best friend, the lovely and adored Devi: "They became a staple sight in the village, the pale-skinned firebrand and her scrawny worshipper; if Devi had fascinated him before, Devanna now clung to her like a bedraggled puppy." But when she's 10 years old, Devi meets Devanna's adult cousin, Machu, a hero for having killed a tiger, and from that day, decides that she will marry only Machu. This childish notion becomes the driving force in her life. Years pass before she is able to arrange a meeting with Machu, but to Devi's dismay, he seems immune to her beauty. Unaware of Devi's desire, Devanna begins his medical school studies and plans a future with her. At school, though, he endures cruel hazing and he returns home a different man, which changes the course of many lives. Mandanna's sweeping saga is ambitious, engaging, and relentlessly tragic. (Mar.)