Burmese Days is a novel about race, power, and love. Being an Orwell book, though, you know it's going to be one hell of a torturous journey to get there. Set in Burma (now Myanmar), the story focusses on a white man named Flory and his struggle for love while trying to prevent his friend from being falsely accused of corruption. The writing is lovely (again, it's Orwell) and the way that the blatant class disparity is glossed over perfectly adds to the anti-imperialist ideals present throughout it.
Orwell's background shines through brilliantly with the wonderful world rife with Burmese terms, customs, and clothing. The casual anti-racist thoughts beholden to Flory consisting of light disagreement against patently prejudicial statements is so real and accurate, making the conversations come across as realistic while still being shocking.
U Po Kyin's machinations are also created and executed with Machiavellian precision without being unbelievable, a quality which I personally adore in literature.
I find it hard to praise this work without repeating myself as there are such intricacies in each aspect of it that I loved reading. Although it's a little slow to start, this novel is definitely worth a read (again, this is Orwell)
