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djceebs's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful, comical, tragic. The secrets woven between the characters in Roy's novel made me laugh and cry. I can't recommend this book highly enough.
ula_j's review against another edition
4.0
This is a sad, intriguing, and wonderful story about a family and its secrets. The main characters' lives and inner thoughts are told through short stories, each focusing on a revealing moment in the family's life. It goes back and forth through time and between India and America. The author is incredibly thoughtful and careful with each character and captures the tension between what we want to say and actually say to those we love.
megatsunami's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars, highly recommended. Beautiful novel, or rather, set of interconnecting stories and vignettes about a family. From the first chapter I thought this was going to be a very different kind of novel: an epic family drama spanning generations. Instead it was something much subtler, featuring finely drawn characters seen through the windows of different moments in their lives. I did still feel some pieces were left out ultimately, but I also liked that the book didn't pretend to give you the whole story.
"A Happy Meal" and "White Christmas" were my favorite stories.
"A Happy Meal" and "White Christmas" were my favorite stories.
geetswrites's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bookerworm's review against another edition
4.0
Great book. Loved the same sex scenes. It is so hard to get erotica right.
sabs98's review
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book is about a family from Calcutta, each chapter told from the perspective of a different member of the family, all of the stories coming together like patches on a quilt to illustrate the overall family dynamic and the lives and natures of each of its member. It is a reflection of life, stories about homesickness, rituals and duties, sacrifices, secrets, breaking boundaries (but secretly), living life the way one should. There is no distinct beginning or end, no resolution to a main conflict; just a beautifully descriptive, melancholy collection of stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
The rape specifically is non-consensual oral sex.joanne_is_from_canada's review against another edition
2.0
I really liked the way this book was organized, with each chapter telling a different piece of the lives of a woman, here husband, and their son. The stories spanned many years and countries and jumped back and forth in time, but it was never hard to follow, and I was interested in all the characters. The description makes it sound like this is a book about a woman who finds out her husband is gay, but that's such a small part of the story. It's where the story begins, but really this is a book about growing up, marriage, culture shock, getting old, death and many other things.
the_modernreader's review
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.5
The one thing I really loved about this book was how it transported me to India. It was very rich in culture and it was nice seeing the complexities of an Indian-American Family vs an Indian Family. I didn’t mind that I had to google what the words meant- even though a young glossary would have been nice. I don’t know how I feel about the actual story. When I read the synopsis, I already imagined how the story would unravel and I was excited to be fed the little crumbs until we got the cake. But the cake wasn’t what I imagined it would be. It wasn’t bad or great, it was just cake. I wanted more. More on the “illicit” romance. More of the how and the when.