A Division of Spoils — Paul Scott

The conclusion of the “majestic” quartet about the waning days of the British empire in India, “a commanding achievement” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).

After exploiting India's divisions for years, the British are departing in such haste that no one is prepared for the Hindu-Muslim riots of 1947. The twilight of the raj turns bloody. Against the backdrop of the violent partition of India and Pakistan, A Division of the Spoils illuminates one last bittersweet romance, revealing the divided loyalties of the British as they flee, retreat from, or cling to India.

“[These] novels are a spectacular explosion of history set off within the lives of a dozen or so Britons and Indians on the edges of vast change . . . If you want to know where the political world we now live in began, Paul Scott's novels are a place to start.” -- The New York Times Book Review

“A rich novel of manners . . . Politics, cultism, police and military interrogation -- all moving toward inevitable murder and violence -- are integral parts of a carefully crafted, complex novel.” -- Library Journal