Customer Reviews

India Was One

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Upon reading the title, India was One, I automatically thought the book was about Indian Independence and Partition which took place in 1947. Was I in for a surprise!

This is Jai and Kaahi's story; a lovely combination of friendship, love and change.

It begins with Jai looking through a pair of binoculars and finding Kaahi doing the same from the other side of India. And the chapter stops there.

The following chapters are a run down to the first chapter . We are shown how Jai meets Kaahi and are intoduced to Jai's friends.

The first half of the book flows nicely with no dramas or tragedies and we get to experience the food, the festivities and a game of cricket, which is explained in detail.

In fact, a lot of Indian terms, languages, customs and religious and non religious festivities are explained in detail. For the readers who already know all this, it can be a chore to read but for those who don't know, it is a real treat.

Explaining it all gives you a deeper understanding of the author's story as it is read on. The author has written the explanations in the story, not within the story, which I would have preferred. There was a lot of telling and not showing. Writing in this way, interrupts the reading as I found.
Even so, I was still intrigued and wanted to find out how Jai reached the point of looking through the binoculars.

One of the things I loved about reading this interesting book was that the author takes us on a travel tour to Rajasthan - India, the US and Europe. We see fabulous descriptions of the US and how it differs from India, how non-resident Indians (NRIs) find India and have adapted to living in a country which was alien to them at first.

When Jai takes Kaahi to Europe on a holiday, we don't see the main holiday destinations but the off road little towns and cities which we don't normally see. It was a delight to read!

This was all in the first half of the book. The second half was very different and quite shocking too.

Jai and Kaahi come back from Europe refreshed and then bad news hit them! A news flash - there is civil unrest in India! What does this mean? Without giving to much away, I will just say that India wasn't One anymore. A felt a lump in my throat when Kaahi had to leave Jai at the airport, both going back to India but to different locations. We are thrown in turmoil as we see the state of India and it's people and we want to see Jai and Kaahi back together.

Everything happens but at a price and we see happiness clouded by a death - a friend who gave for his country. I was devastated when this happened as I had grown to love this character (as with all the other characters).

India was One is a book to read. It is interesting and intriguing, yet original and different!

This book takes the reader to a strange land full of amazing customs and culture; No it is not a fantasy tale it is the story of an Indian couple and the struggle they face to live happily ever after. What makes this book so interesting is the facts about India and its culture that are inter-woven within the compelling love story. This book is definitely entertaining, educational and emotional.

I have to admit that if I was in a bookshop I would have walked straight past this book. So, when I was given the opportunity to read it, I checked out a few reviews on it and, although a little apprehensive, decided, well, why not. I thought: what do I really know about India other than the Taj Mahal, Bollywood, Imran Khan and a cracking good Vindaloo on a Friday night? Well, alright, not that little - but my point is, I don't know much. The reviews seemed to suggest that there would be something to learn from the book. My apprehension was happily misplaced. The first chapter - more of a prologue - drew me in straightaway. Whilst the novel is fictional, the story of boy-meets-girl-marries-girl (Jai and Kaahi) is interwoven with a treasure trove of facts about India - sometimes in the characters' conversations, sometimes as explanatory paragraphs. The author's uncomplicated style never makes the latter heavy-reading. The facts that are interspersed in the conversations do make the dialogue a little strange at times, especially between the two main characters - it's sometimes hard to believe that two people in love would actually talk like reference books - but you become so engrossed in the information you overlook this. Even the references to cricket (which to my mind is marginally more exciting than watching paint dry) are interesting.

If you separate the story from the factual content, you are left with a rather unsubstantial, rather frail boy-meets-girl tale, which would not stand alone. If you separate the factual content from the story, you have an ordinary, but easy-to-read guide book that could sit happily next to a Lonely Planet guide. Put them together you have a unique, enjoyable book that has you caring deeply about Jai and Kaahi's life and future and the opportunity to learn more about the richness of India's tapestry of culture, language, food, costume, religion, customs and geography. The author has now managed to put India on my bucket list of places to visit. I wish all my geography books had been written like this - I might have learnt more.

This book is quite a little gem.