Sea of Poppies (2005)

India, 1838: opium cultivation, debt and colonial trade bring an extraordinary company of passengers and crew aboard the Ibis, bound for Mauritius. Ghosh makes language and work as memorable as the voyage. A lively first step into Indian Ocean history if you enjoy a crowded cast and unfamiliar speech that becomes clearer through use. It opens the Ibis trilogy and deliberately leaves journeys unfinished.