Tamboura

by Smith, Josie | Fiction
Published 10/1/2023 by Cowry Publishing in United Kingdom
Paperback

At the heart of this book is a story of transformation, of the search for meaning in our modern world. It is a celebration of the magical way music nourishes the soul. And it is the story of Joanna, a child of the sixties, and Eddie, her travelling companion, and how the tamboura became a catalyst for change and spiritual awakening in their lives.

Tamboura is a very moving and inspiring story of a seeker, written by a seeker for seekers!

Gwales Review

A tamboura is a stringed instrument, made from a gourd and with a long wooden neck. They can be incredibly ornate and beautiful, and make a resonating drone. They are handmade in India, and the tamboura that features in this novel is created in Miraj by Aditya. He wakes from a divine dream which inspires him to make a sitar and the tamboura. They are exquisitely ornate and perfect in tone and are quickly bought up by an enthusiastic trader. And so begins the tamboura’s journey.

In this novel Josie Smith takes the reader on a physical journey: from rural India where we see the tamboura being crafted, to Hertfordshire, Devon, London, Marrakesh, Kabul and on. And she also takes us on a spiritual journey, from the devout certainty of the instrument-maker in India to the lost and seeking generation growing up in 1960s Britain.

Joanna is seventeen in 1964, living in St Albans, absorbed and uplifted by the vibrant music scene flourishing there. She meets and falls in love with Donovan (and yes, that’s the ‘real’ Donovan) – an intense but brief first love that dissolves as Donovan’s burgeoning career takes him off to London and beyond. Already at this young age, Joanna experiences a sense of connection and spiritual awareness that temporarily transforms reality for her.

After joining Donovan briefly in Torquay, she finally loses him to London and fame, and she returns sadly to St Albans. She wants more than living at home with her parents and, at the age of nineteen, she and her best friend Vicky head to London.

It’s the 1960s and two young women can easily find work and somewhere to rent in the heart of London, and still have time and money for a lively social life. Joanna and Vicky immerse themselves in the excitement and novelty of the London music scene. They are part of that incredible movement that exploded in the 1960s, when the younger generation broke the mold of all previous generations and launched themselves into a journey of self-discovery, breaking all barriers and rules and forging a new way of being. Smith captures the heady excitement and fragility of those times.

LSD kick-starts Joanna’s hunt for spiritual meaning and understanding of the universe, but she sees the dangers of it and seeks other ways to reach that transformed state. Different characters help or hinder her on the way, but eventually she meets Eddie and with him her spiritual quest starts in earnest.

In their travels we are transported to Morocco and many other regions, each described in evocative detail by Smith, creating the unique atmosphere of each location, be it Bristol or Kabul. Each step in Joanna’s life leads her further towards the spiritual understanding she craves. Along with Eddie, she strives to find meaning and transformation through spiritual practice. Even when the mundanities of domestic life weigh heavily on her, she yearns to break through to the spiritual dimension.

Though the writing is somewhat flowery, this is a heartfelt book. Josie Smith is obviously personally invested in the search for spiritual enlightenment and provides in this novel an illustration of the power such spiritual journeys have to transform our humdrum lives.
Lucy Walter
A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Books Council of Wales.
Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatâd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.