Scan barcode
ipekreading's review
4.0
On an unnamed island in 1985, a military coup has taken over the colonialist government and the racial tensions between the natives and the Indian community are incredibly high. Bhumi and Jaipal are siblings, Bhumi destined for success and at the locked-down university and Jaipal the unnoticed older brother, taking care of the family business and only getting distracted by his desires he tries to keep secret. The novel follows as the nationalist tensions increase and the paths of the sibling diverge.
The story is written beautifully and flows really well. It not only manages to capture the worries people face but also the day-to-day distractions they seek from the terribleness. The racism and the nationalism is heartbreaking. The post-coup set up of the island feels so real. Being without a country because what you call home rejects you is such a scary thought. And yet this book managed to touch on a lot of these and more in a weirdly lighthearted way that didn't take away from the seriousness of the topics that so many people are still facing. My only complaint is that everything seemed to come together with a bit clean and sadly that's seldom the case IRL.
Thank you Ecco Books and NetGalley for the ARC!
The story is written beautifully and flows really well. It not only manages to capture the worries people face but also the day-to-day distractions they seek from the terribleness. The racism and the nationalism is heartbreaking. The post-coup set up of the island feels so real. Being without a country because what you call home rejects you is such a scary thought. And yet this book managed to touch on a lot of these and more in a weirdly lighthearted way that didn't take away from the seriousness of the topics that so many people are still facing. My only complaint is that everything seemed to come together with a bit clean and sadly that's seldom the case IRL.
Thank you Ecco Books and NetGalley for the ARC!
katebond's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
vagaybond's review
5.0
My general synopsis: This book has two revolving points of view, through a brother and a sister who live different lives but are in each others lives as adult siblings are. Bhumi is studious and Jaipal is a romantic, and they come from a family who came to this small island generations ago and worked to try and carve out a place for them. There's a story about their grandmother escaping an abusive marriage (abusive as in, she escaped a murder that was arranged by her family). There's a lot of different extreme stories of the lives that they go through under what is pretty much a genocide in the streets, mixed in with the mundanity of trying to go to work or school and encounter love and friendship. There's a lot that's sentimental and poetic, and the characters are hard not to love. Even the ones who are angry all the time (Bhumi and Jaipal's father). They all have their ways of feeling and expressing love. And times when they share the unspoken things with others because it might be the last time, and the inability to speak on what they want to in what could be the last opportunity.
The island of the book is never mentioned by name, but I had some very small familiarity with the politics of the place it is based off of (only that there were Indian people brought there under indentured servitude) and ended up going through reviews until I came across someone else mentioning that it is based off the place that I thought it was. (I'm not going to name it, you can find the reviews yourself.)
It's been a while since I read a book that had this kind of seriousness to it and I think I will think about this book a lot far into the future too. There are things I know it is teaching me about grief that I will need to mull over a lot. And love. Maybe I'll come back to this review one day and add more.
The island of the book is never mentioned by name, but I had some very small familiarity with the politics of the place it is based off of (only that there were Indian people brought there under indentured servitude) and ended up going through reviews until I came across someone else mentioning that it is based off the place that I thought it was. (I'm not going to name it, you can find the reviews yourself.)
It's been a while since I read a book that had this kind of seriousness to it and I think I will think about this book a lot far into the future too. There are things I know it is teaching me about grief that I will need to mull over a lot. And love. Maybe I'll come back to this review one day and add more.
alouette's review
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
i didn't realize when i picked this up that the setting was fictional, so when i reached that conclusion i was fairly disappointed. i think that even then, it had a lot of potential, and i liked some aspects such as the realities of immigration and familial separation. but it fell short with writing that was seemed clinical and a less than impactful ending.
emilypolcyn's review
3.0
A good story, but the writing just didn’t hit the mark for me. The first half of the book really dragged— I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know from the back cover until halfway through. A lot of the characters also didn’t really feel well-rounded to me. (I got really tired of hearing Jaipal’s horny prose.) A lot of the flowery writing just felt a bit unnecessary and stiff as well. I enjoyed the story and its message but feel like it could’ve been tightened up a lot.
dirtpit69's review
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
highpulpoj's review
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
patroclusbro's review
dark
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I had really wanted to like this novel, but it left me a bit at a loss, and disappointed in general.
Batsha manages to create some beautiful, lyrical moments here and there, I especially enjoyed how he described desire and sibling relationships. I also did like his overall concept to create a broken family facing a breaking, fictional country and to ask about impermanent homes in a colonial world.
That being said, until the very end I waited for something to genuinely touch me. There are a lot of missed oppurtunities to go deeper, emotionally, and really work out those characters and their stories. I am not entirely sure: The pacing and overall suspense was either sufferring from trying to squish in too many little scenes at the sake of a broader picture, or from not fleshing out those scenes and writing, simply, a longer book.
What struck me as nonreflective, too, was that throughout the whole story the reader doesn't get any chance to see the native people of the island as anything other than a formerly oppressed group that suddenly became a thorough, militant aggressor. I kept waiting for some layers in that depiction, but it simply did not come. That way, Batsha missed the chance to give his book momentum and to put it into a real conversation about postcolonialism, migration and exile, for example with Fanon, Feuchtwanger or America is Not the Heart (Elaine Castillo).
In the end, I felt like all was already said by the synopsis.
Batsha manages to create some beautiful, lyrical moments here and there, I especially enjoyed how he described desire and sibling relationships. I also did like his overall concept to create a broken family facing a breaking, fictional country and to ask about impermanent homes in a colonial world.
That being said, until the very end I waited for something to genuinely touch me. There are a lot of missed oppurtunities to go deeper, emotionally, and really work out those characters and their stories. I am not entirely sure: The pacing and overall suspense was either sufferring from trying to squish in too many little scenes at the sake of a broader picture, or from not fleshing out those scenes and writing, simply, a longer book.
What struck me as nonreflective, too, was that throughout the whole story the reader doesn't get any chance to see the native people of the island as anything other than a formerly oppressed group that suddenly became a thorough, militant aggressor. I kept waiting for some layers in that depiction, but it simply did not come. That way, Batsha missed the chance to give his book momentum and to put it into a real conversation about postcolonialism, migration and exile, for example with Fanon, Feuchtwanger or America is Not the Heart (Elaine Castillo).
In the end, I felt like all was already said by the synopsis.
wildblackberrydays's review
5.0
This book was very well written, touching on topics of refugees, what it means to belong somewhere, racial/ethnic conflict, colonialism, sexual identity…the descriptions placed you into the characters feelings and were beautifully done.
paulinaer's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25