The Shadow Lines

Tribid is the narrator’s uncle and the son of Mayadebi. When the narrator was young, he very much admired Tribid, despite the fact that people in Calcutta generally viewed Tribid as indigent and frivolous. In 1939, when Tribid was a young boy, he traveled with his parents to England, so that his father could have a medical operation there. They were hosted by an English family by the surname of Price. The two families formed a bond of friendship, which persisted for decades.

In adulthood, Tribid develops romantic feelings for May Price, the daughter of the family. Tribid and May maintain a correspondence by mail, and they occasionally visit each other. However, May is never sure whether she feels reciprocal feelings of love towards Tribid. In January of 1964, Tribid and May accompany Tha’mma during a trip to Dhaka. During this trip, riots erupt, and Tribid is killed by a mob.