The Booker-shortlisted author of the Ibis trilogy explores the impact of opium on global history, economies, cultures, and his own understanding of self. From the nineteenth century the British reaped huge profits by exporting vast quantities of opium from India, waged wars to defend its access to markets, and created a devastating addiction crisis in China. A sweeping story of greed and power, Smoke and Ashes reveals how opium created the wealth of modern cities like Mumbai, Singapore and Shanghai, as well as many of Americas most powerful families and institutions, and is a part of Ghoshs personal history.