Review: I became totally immersed in Sita's plight
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 29, 2013
Sita makes an inauspicious entry into the world - she’s a girl, rather than the son that would have made her Hindu parents proud. Later, after the longed-for son has arrived, her parents move the family from India to the USA. Sita grows up having to cope with the wildly different cultures of home and school. How will she escape from the confines of her father’s home?Sita doesn’t really fit in anywhere, not even within her own family, where she’s always made to feel she’s not good enough. Her parents’ dysfunctional marriage, which brings neither of them joy or comfort, results in her dictatorial father and her meek mother both being incapable of giving her the love she craves. Growing up in this emotional poverty, Sita draws our sympathy, which is only increased as she attempts to hide from the outside world that her family are barely living above the poverty line. We become totally immersed in her plight, hoping that she’ll be able to find a way out.While the women who influence Sita are described with great clarity, some of the men seem less distinct and nuanced. Initially, Brad, an all-American Christian, takes the plot and Sita’s life in a new direction, but his motives become obscure as the story progresses. Sita’s father appears quite stereotypical, until the end when he makes a surprising gesture, which I found incredibly moving. I want to re-read this story to see if perhaps I missed something about the portrayal her father on first reading.At one level this is a story of culture clash, assimilation and women’s role in society. At a deeper level Sita isn’t simply a cipher for the first-generation experience, she’s a complicated individual. Even when I didn’t agree with or even fully empathise with her decisions, she remains true to her character. And that’s where I believe the strength of this powerful story lies; in the creation of a vulnerable girl who matures into a wonderfully complex woman.I’d like to thank the author for sending me an advance review copy of this book.