R. K. Narayan’s magnificent new novel is about a tiger possessed of the soul of an enlightened human being who tells us the story of his life.

Raja leaves his home in the Mempi hills only to find he is captured and made to perform in a circus and on a film set. Eventually he escapes, onlyto be recaptured – but this time voluntarily – by a guru. The two of them leave Malgudi and return to the hills where they pass their days in sweet philosophical discourse until old age overtakes Raja and he is forced to give up his freedom for ever.