Review: A novel about Indians outside of India...but with the family still clinging to the mores, values, and traditions
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 19, 2014
A novel about Indians outside of India...but with the family still clinging to the mores, values, and traditions of their motherland while the next generation struggles to break free and find its own place in between two worlds....I'm a third generation Indian, so this description above fits a lot of what life has been like for me, too - though to a lesser degree of a first generation Indian like Sita. I had the benefit of having parents and family only 'just' clinging to the des' ways, but I still empathize and understand the struggle of any Indian immigrant living in a 'modern/Western' country.And that's probably why I connected with this book so much. Thank goodness my experience has never been as dire as Sita's - but I could understand everything Ms. Rajakumar set out in this book. The mindset - I totally got it.... but I think I would've gotten it, too, even if I hadn't been of Indian origin. The writing is just so stark and raw, the emotions stripped from any glamour and staring at you in their utter nakedness - how can you not be moved by this prose?Yes, sometimes the writing jumps from one age to another (like when Sita has lice and then it is mentioned how throughout her adulthood, including her seven times as a bridesmaid, she never forgot the spectre of the lice, but at that point in the story, she's just a tween). It's a tad hard to keep up with the jumps in time along the narrative, but you can get the gist of it (even if at times, I've had to reread some paragraphs just to find out where I got 'lost').One thing I dunno if it's just me...but I thought the setting could've been better explained/spelt out, especially the India parts. I've watched tons of Bollywood flicks that took place in the era where much of this story is set, and I know what India is/looks like, so I had no trouble picturing it all - actually coming up with my own images - while reading. But for someone not familiar with India, esp circa 80s & 90s, this could be a bit of a blank because the author doesn't really describe the place; just gives hints like reed sheets on the floor (imo, you need to have seen one, even if on the screen, to know what she means by this).But on the whole, this book was captivating! I absolutely hated Sita's father throughout, but at the same time, I was sadly nodding along because I totally understood how and why he was as he was, and why her mother effaced herself so much from the picture, why the adoration was reserved for the male child and the daughter made to feel like an afterthought. It shouted out loud - this is Indian mindset!!! I screamed and cried and bled for Sita, cheering her on throughout, wanting and waiting for her to break free and come into herself the way any girl should be able to, never mind her origins.Want an immersion into Indian culture? Then read this book. But be ready - it's hard, harsh, poignant, and not for the faint of heart. You need solid guts to get through this without wanting to rip apart one or two characters along the way!