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brew_and_books's review against another edition
3.0
It took me four months to read this and another month to bring myself to write about it. For all its rich language, brilliant narration, and atmospheric writing, this book left me fatigued.
Tomb of Sand takes us through the life story of an 80 y/o woman (Amma/ma/mata ji), recently widowed, who has taken her back to her family (and the world in general). As a reader, we are taken through one rollercoaster of a ride - into the pitfalls of the depressive states of Amma, her subsequent realization that it all isn't over and there's much more to life, followed by taking a series of bold decisions for a woman her age like leaving her son's home to live with her daughter, befriending and maintaining a heartfelt friendship with a hijra, transcending borders, etc. Despite an overwhelming length of 700+ pages, the story flows seamlessly and swoops you in right from the first page. The narrative is interspersed in chapters ranging from a single page of two to three lines to some spanning thirty pages. The story transits so smoothly that I never knew when it turned from a witty, humorous tale of an older woman with knacking descriptions of her changing relationship dynamics and outlook towards life and the world to one plunging deep into the explorations of deep-rooted memories and the torment that comes from partition.
It made me laugh, cry, long, bored, and frustrated, but above all, it gave me a unique reading experience of its own. I went slow with it and took a long time to finish. The story digresses a lot, and so did I shuffle through my reads while reading it. I am convinced I cannot read a digressing story as this one, with overpowering stream-of-consciousness writing, in one go. It is rife with thematic diversity (old age, abandonment, widowhood, falling apart from children, partition and loss, gender fluidity, etc.). Its amalgamation left me unimpressed and somewhat exhausted, tbh.
Big shoutout to Daisy Rockwell for the stellar translation that captured the absolute essence of the story and kept the subtle undertones intact. If you are good with big books and patient enough for a multi-dimensional and layered tale like this one, I much recommend it!
Tomb of Sand takes us through the life story of an 80 y/o woman (Amma/ma/mata ji), recently widowed, who has taken her back to her family (and the world in general). As a reader, we are taken through one rollercoaster of a ride - into the pitfalls of the depressive states of Amma, her subsequent realization that it all isn't over and there's much more to life, followed by taking a series of bold decisions for a woman her age like leaving her son's home to live with her daughter, befriending and maintaining a heartfelt friendship with a hijra, transcending borders, etc. Despite an overwhelming length of 700+ pages, the story flows seamlessly and swoops you in right from the first page. The narrative is interspersed in chapters ranging from a single page of two to three lines to some spanning thirty pages. The story transits so smoothly that I never knew when it turned from a witty, humorous tale of an older woman with knacking descriptions of her changing relationship dynamics and outlook towards life and the world to one plunging deep into the explorations of deep-rooted memories and the torment that comes from partition.
It made me laugh, cry, long, bored, and frustrated, but above all, it gave me a unique reading experience of its own. I went slow with it and took a long time to finish. The story digresses a lot, and so did I shuffle through my reads while reading it. I am convinced I cannot read a digressing story as this one, with overpowering stream-of-consciousness writing, in one go. It is rife with thematic diversity (old age, abandonment, widowhood, falling apart from children, partition and loss, gender fluidity, etc.). Its amalgamation left me unimpressed and somewhat exhausted, tbh.
Big shoutout to Daisy Rockwell for the stellar translation that captured the absolute essence of the story and kept the subtle undertones intact. If you are good with big books and patient enough for a multi-dimensional and layered tale like this one, I much recommend it!
s4peace's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book but it's not for me. There's so much ambiguity and distraction from the actual story and it keeps going off on very poetic and beautiful tangents but that takes away from the reading experience. I didn't have the patience for it and I also dont like the translation as much. It makes the story longer than it needs to be.
Might pick it up again in Hindi but this was not great to read.
Might pick it up again in Hindi but this was not great to read.
divasin's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Although the character development starts slowly..it's all in a good cause.
Each character is interesting and unique...I hated to let the go...still miss them. Imagery is imaginative and poignant. Brilliant book!
Each character is interesting and unique...I hated to let the go...still miss them. Imagery is imaginative and poignant. Brilliant book!
stacey_stacey's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
afrah_zainab's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
4.0
_vampiresquid's review against another edition
I thought this book is definitely for someone who is not me. Even though I read over 100 pages, it feels like nothing has happened and I’m no better than having just started the book.
namakurhea's review against another edition
4.5
Reading the blurb, I was expecting it to be a wholesome story of an old woman reinventing herself in her later years; a journey of self (re)discovery with a dose of domestic drama thrown in. Well, be prepared because this book will knock you out like a flying elbow manuever in WWE match.
.
The book is divided in 3 parts and mind you: the first 2 parts are paced very slow. It does contain themes of gender roles, the individual vs the community, and some interesting family dynamics. The story is at times told by this god-like narrator who can jump back and forth in the timeline and shifts from narrating the story from above into becoming a minor supporting character or an animal. There is a lot of whimsy in the narration and a bit of dark humor, kinda like the narrator of “Ludo” (it’s a Hindi film available on netflix). There is a lot of “ha?” parts of the story…but word of advice: don’t stress yourself over these stuff anymore. That’s why when part three came, you’re going to be surprised. It features Partition a lot in the third part. The whimsy transitions into something darker and painful.
.
After finishing I reread the first chapter and I was like “dude the whole story is right there in the first part all along!!” A lot of the strange things happening in the first part makes sense! To quote directly from the book: “This particular tale has a border and women who come and go as they please.” And YES IT IS. It really is!! Borders here are not simply geographical ones. It is also the borders between parent and child, sister and brother, woman and man, past and present. This book is a beautifully told story of women who push past these borders and is brilliantly translated by Daisy Rockwell. You finish this book and you’ll be like “OK I understand why this is shortlisted for Booker”. It features an octogenarian heroine, amazing worldplay, shocking plot twists, and pays homage to literary traditions inspired by the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan.
.
I’ve only read this and “Cursed Bunny” but “Tomb of Sand” does have major WINNER vibezz for the Int’l Booker Prize.
.
Edit: OMG IT WON!
.
The book is divided in 3 parts and mind you: the first 2 parts are paced very slow. It does contain themes of gender roles, the individual vs the community, and some interesting family dynamics. The story is at times told by this god-like narrator who can jump back and forth in the timeline and shifts from narrating the story from above into becoming a minor supporting character or an animal. There is a lot of whimsy in the narration and a bit of dark humor, kinda like the narrator of “Ludo” (it’s a Hindi film available on netflix). There is a lot of “ha?” parts of the story…but word of advice: don’t stress yourself over these stuff anymore. That’s why when part three came, you’re going to be surprised. It features Partition a lot in the third part. The whimsy transitions into something darker and painful.
.
After finishing I reread the first chapter and I was like “dude the whole story is right there in the first part all along!!” A lot of the strange things happening in the first part makes sense! To quote directly from the book: “This particular tale has a border and women who come and go as they please.” And YES IT IS. It really is!! Borders here are not simply geographical ones. It is also the borders between parent and child, sister and brother, woman and man, past and present. This book is a beautifully told story of women who push past these borders and is brilliantly translated by Daisy Rockwell. You finish this book and you’ll be like “OK I understand why this is shortlisted for Booker”. It features an octogenarian heroine, amazing worldplay, shocking plot twists, and pays homage to literary traditions inspired by the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan.
.
I’ve only read this and “Cursed Bunny” but “Tomb of Sand” does have major WINNER vibezz for the Int’l Booker Prize.
.
Edit: OMG IT WON!