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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting take on family life, 23 April 2007
The cover (as someone else mentioned) caught my eye with this one. I have an interest in Indian novels and consequently devoured this one. Very easy reading, although after the first two chapters I was unsure about it. This is normally the point where I decide to continue or not and I'm pleased I did.
The characters are so well written and I loved how the plot became more complex as time went on. Simply, it is the story of one family, lies and deceit and how truth has a way of coming out (to a certain extent). More deeply, it is an analysis of society; how we try to be things we aren't and always try to make things better than the generation before us yet somehow making similar mistakes!
Politics, culture and history is weaved into this debut novel. You feel very involved with the characters; sometimes liking them and other times despising them. I always found reasons to feel sorry for Sarna the 'tormented' mother even when she was making life difficult for her family with her ways of dealing with things.
You appreciate the suffering Karam (Sarna's husband) went through in the early days of their relationship. Throughout the novel their struggle and dedication is evident and even though their's was not always a marriage filled with love it was clear they had a deepened sense of responsibilty and respect for their culture and each other. Although which one was the predominant feeling I couldn't say.
The style is very easy to read, you feel like you are being told a story and it was this that kept me going when I feel a little bored (which happened only a few times throughout the novel) because, as with real life, there is not always fast-paced action.
As more becomes revealed you become more involved with the characters, which is when I became hooked and in the end couldn't put it down. A very complete novel with all endings tied up neatly but still enough to allow you to wonder beyond the confines of the novel; what may have happened to the family.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read - fab characters and moving, 28 Feb 2007
I bought this book because I loved the cover, and it sounded interesting. I have just finished it, and absolutely loved it. It is very warm, funny, beautiful and moving - and extremely easy to read. Not in a beach-read kind of way, just the writer has a very accessible and fluid style. The characters are great - and the worlds are very vividly imagined. Some of the characters - the mother especially - are at times hilarious, and you really care about what happens to them. Thoroughly recommend it as a very intelligent, passionate, pleasurable read.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great family story interestingly linked to political events, 21 April 2007
This is an incredibly assured and ambitious first novel, which was recommended to me by a friend. It begins amidst the turmoil of India's partition. One of the main characters, Karam, is caught up in the troubles and ends up in a refugee camp where he succumbs to Typhoid, or `Taffoid' as his wife describes it, and falls unconscious. Saved by a heroic act of kindness, Karam regrets that he `missed' the drama of the historical moment. This sparks his lifelong search for an alternative history which is described through various hilarious trips around the world where he always, inevitably, `misses' the event he's trying to participate in. His wife, Sarna, is another strongly portrayed character. Melodramatic, manipulative and mad about cooking, she is the driving force behind the story. Her infuriating yet heart-breaking inability to face up to the past is very well described, although the depths to which stoops are sometimes rather shocking.
The book is full of colourful and memorable lesser characters, like Mina Masi the mid-wife who has formula guaranteed to produce boy babies (I'd love to know if it actually works!) and Chatta Choda, the Sikh who cuts off his hair in a wild scene at a wedding party. I especially liked Oskar who is a quiet, thoughtful voice amidst all the drama and humour. His reflections on storytelling itself give the book an interesting philosophical dimension.
Overall, I thought this was a great family story interestingly linked to different political events that give it a wide appeal and relevance.
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