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ellen_suth's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Just beautiful - beautiful story, prose, characters, everything.
TW: there are scenes where the main character’s consent to sex is very dubious, i.e. she doesn’t really understand what she’s consenting to, and other characters take advantage of this. Something to be aware of!
TW: there are scenes where the main character’s consent to sex is very dubious, i.e. she doesn’t really understand what she’s consenting to, and other characters take advantage of this. Something to be aware of!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Racism, Drug abuse, Addiction, Confinement, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Colonisation
deedireads's review against another edition
tense
fast-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
4.0
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
I liked China Room a lot. Short, and with one plotline that’s more plot-driven and one that’s more character-driven, I was pleasantly surprised at how fast-paced and engaging it was.
For you if: You want to read more books with Punjabi representation.
FULL REVIEW:
China Room landed on my radar because it was longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize. It’s only 250 pages long, and I ended up easily reading it in one day; the super-short chapters combined with the fast pace (at least for a ~Booker book~) really had me turning the pages.
The story takes place in two timelines with two characters: The first, Mehar, lives in Punjab in the 1920s. She is married off to one of three brothers in a triple wedding, but she and her fellow brides are kept in the dark (literally) about which of the brothers are their husbands. When she seems to have figured it out, she can’t help but careen herself down a very risky path. The other timeline, which takes place today, is about Mehar’s unnamed great-grandson, who travels to Punjab to recover from addiction. Staying in the same house where she lived, he faces down his own kind of personal and generational trauma.
While I was reading, I found myself most engaged in Mehar’s story, although that’s mostly because her chapters were fast-paced and driven heavily by plot. The story of our unnamed modern main character, on the other hand, is much more introspective and character-driven. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book that had both of those styles alongside one another like that, and it was really interesting.
At book club, a lot of us talked about wanting more out of either or both of the storylines, at the same time realizing that Sahota’s restraint was likely purposeful, even if the reason why wasn’t immediately clear. I can agree here; there were definitely connections and events I’d been rooting for (love when a book makes you root for things!), and yet I also think what we were ultimately given did quite a bit of work.
Pick this one up if you’re a sucker for a love story and/or interested in reading more historical fiction set in India.
TL;DR REVIEW:
I liked China Room a lot. Short, and with one plotline that’s more plot-driven and one that’s more character-driven, I was pleasantly surprised at how fast-paced and engaging it was.
For you if: You want to read more books with Punjabi representation.
FULL REVIEW:
China Room landed on my radar because it was longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize. It’s only 250 pages long, and I ended up easily reading it in one day; the super-short chapters combined with the fast pace (at least for a ~Booker book~) really had me turning the pages.
The story takes place in two timelines with two characters: The first, Mehar, lives in Punjab in the 1920s. She is married off to one of three brothers in a triple wedding, but she and her fellow brides are kept in the dark (literally) about which of the brothers are their husbands. When she seems to have figured it out, she can’t help but careen herself down a very risky path. The other timeline, which takes place today, is about Mehar’s unnamed great-grandson, who travels to Punjab to recover from addiction. Staying in the same house where she lived, he faces down his own kind of personal and generational trauma.
While I was reading, I found myself most engaged in Mehar’s story, although that’s mostly because her chapters were fast-paced and driven heavily by plot. The story of our unnamed modern main character, on the other hand, is much more introspective and character-driven. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book that had both of those styles alongside one another like that, and it was really interesting.
At book club, a lot of us talked about wanting more out of either or both of the storylines, at the same time realizing that Sahota’s restraint was likely purposeful, even if the reason why wasn’t immediately clear. I can agree here; there were definitely connections and events I’d been rooting for (love when a book makes you root for things!), and yet I also think what we were ultimately given did quite a bit of work.
Pick this one up if you’re a sucker for a love story and/or interested in reading more historical fiction set in India.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Pregnancy
emmagreenwood's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
bookswithchaipai's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
THE BOOKER PRIZE LONGLIST 2021
CHINA ROOM – Sanjeev Sahota
Genre – Historical Fiction, India
“That a wife was a wife, there to bear sons and otherwise live behind her veil, out of the way. Her face was barely worth considering”.
This was the mindset of rural India & still is in some parts. The “chador”/veil makes it hard for a woman to identify the husband among his siblings, sometimes going a whole lifetime without knowing who it is, having to perform the marital relations in darkness. “They grow up in a prison & then get married into one.” The sadness of this thought shook me, thinking of how repressed women are. But despite that, the strong character of 16-year-old Mehar, shone through as she went about village life.
Fast forward to 1999 - Mehar’s unnamed 19-year-old great-grandson, a Heroin addict, returns to the farm to go cold turkey. He bides his time in the China Room, where Mehar was sequestered, and he feels a connection flow through him from over the years.
The 1929 rural life fascinated me – the dung patties, candle making, foraging for vegetables, delivering food to the farmworkers. Sahota’s vivid visions of village life are authentic for someone who has been to India only a handful of times.
What I loved –
- Mehar’s story of love & lust is heartbreaking – falling prey to the desire of a man because she was blindfolded by traditions.
- The Indian's cry for Azaadi from colonization is beautifully portrayed through the form of Tejh Singh’s call for arms.
- Mehar’s great-grandson, went through a process of self-discovery, making connections with people and the land, which was an insightful journey.
- The flashbacks into the great-grandson’s childhood, where he was a victim of racism in London, led to his addiction. Apart from Mehar's story, this caused me a lot of heartbreak.
I would have loved to know more about Radhika and the teacher, but it was touched on lightly.
FACT - Sahota weaved this story taking instances from his own experience in London of racism and his great grandmother, who was one of 4 veiled daughters-in-law, who did not know who the husband was.
CHINA ROOM – Sanjeev Sahota
Genre – Historical Fiction, India
“That a wife was a wife, there to bear sons and otherwise live behind her veil, out of the way. Her face was barely worth considering”.
This was the mindset of rural India & still is in some parts. The “chador”/veil makes it hard for a woman to identify the husband among his siblings, sometimes going a whole lifetime without knowing who it is, having to perform the marital relations in darkness. “They grow up in a prison & then get married into one.” The sadness of this thought shook me, thinking of how repressed women are. But despite that, the strong character of 16-year-old Mehar, shone through as she went about village life.
Fast forward to 1999 - Mehar’s unnamed 19-year-old great-grandson, a Heroin addict, returns to the farm to go cold turkey. He bides his time in the China Room, where Mehar was sequestered, and he feels a connection flow through him from over the years.
The 1929 rural life fascinated me – the dung patties, candle making, foraging for vegetables, delivering food to the farmworkers. Sahota’s vivid visions of village life are authentic for someone who has been to India only a handful of times.
What I loved –
- Mehar’s story of love & lust is heartbreaking – falling prey to the desire of a man because she was blindfolded by traditions.
- The Indian's cry for Azaadi from colonization is beautifully portrayed through the form of Tejh Singh’s call for arms.
- Mehar’s great-grandson, went through a process of self-discovery, making connections with people and the land, which was an insightful journey.
- The flashbacks into the great-grandson’s childhood, where he was a victim of racism in London, led to his addiction. Apart from Mehar's story, this caused me a lot of heartbreak.
I would have loved to know more about Radhika and the teacher, but it was touched on lightly.
FACT - Sahota weaved this story taking instances from his own experience in London of racism and his great grandmother, who was one of 4 veiled daughters-in-law, who did not know who the husband was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Alcoholism, Xenophobia, and Racism
mandy_reads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Xenophobia, Infidelity, and Confinement
Minor: Pregnancy
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