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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
3.5 rounded up. A tale set in Kolkata. Rambled a lot. Characters well developed. Just never got there.
emotional
reflective
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
slow-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Yes
A story about a woman who inherits a house in Kolkata from her grandfather - a house her estranged mother and all her extended family life in, but don’t want her to have control of. So she has to go back to face the demons of her past, and figure out the right things to do when it’s hard to know in whose interest she should act.
This book felt a little long and a little slow, and was all about facing generational trauma headfirst. That made it a tough and not always inviting read, despite the lovely writing. The first 100 pages were meant to set the stage, but I feel like they could have been shortened. I also felt like the story could have ended before the big twist in the last 100 pages, and been exactly the same impact. That being said, we had a great book club discussion about how the west and India handle secrets, abuse, family, gossip and other things differently and the same, and how you stop inherited trauma from one generation to the next. Not unhappy I read it.
This book felt a little long and a little slow, and was all about facing generational trauma headfirst. That made it a tough and not always inviting read, despite the lovely writing. The first 100 pages were meant to set the stage, but I feel like they could have been shortened. I also felt like the story could have ended before the big twist in the last 100 pages, and been exactly the same impact. That being said, we had a great book club discussion about how the west and India handle secrets, abuse, family, gossip and other things differently and the same, and how you stop inherited trauma from one generation to the next. Not unhappy I read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Child abuse
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
reflective
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:
Yes
It is the summer of 2015 and Lila De recieves a phone call from her semi- estranged mother. Her beloved grandfather has passed away and left the ancestral family home to her. At the age of 16, she left her mother and maternal family to live with her father, she has not been back to Kolkota since then. She is apprehensive about seeing her mother again, with whom she's always had a tense relationship. As excited as she is to see her extended family again, she knows they are wary of her, especially now that she owns the house they've lived in forever.
She now has to make decisions regarding the grand, but dilapidated house, while simultaneously keeping the family happy. Lila's cousin, Biddy, is getting married and there is a lot to be done to make the house ready for all the festivities. As she becomes immersed into her family, she learns of all the hidden secrets and resentments within the walls. Age old customs and beliefs are held onto very strongly and Lila has to come to terms with quietly accepting them as well. While the relationship with her mother is just as strained as ever, she finds comfort in the arms of her teenage love, but that has it's own complications.
This book was almost a DNF for me but I pushed through and I'm glad I did. I wouldn't say the book was slow by any means, but it reads more like a long family saga, although it takes place over just 8 weeks or so. I did have a hard time finishing it quickly and think it was probably a bit longer than it should have been. I liked how complex all the characters were and as an Indian-American myself, I could understand all the difficult family dynamics and how things can often be shoved under the rug and not acknowledged. How society's perception is considered so important, and can also be the most damaging. The house was a great metaphor for the family inside. While on the outside it was grand, the insides were deteriorating.
Thank you to Netgalley and Algonquin Books for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
She now has to make decisions regarding the grand, but dilapidated house, while simultaneously keeping the family happy. Lila's cousin, Biddy, is getting married and there is a lot to be done to make the house ready for all the festivities. As she becomes immersed into her family, she learns of all the hidden secrets and resentments within the walls. Age old customs and beliefs are held onto very strongly and Lila has to come to terms with quietly accepting them as well. While the relationship with her mother is just as strained as ever, she finds comfort in the arms of her teenage love, but that has it's own complications.
This book was almost a DNF for me but I pushed through and I'm glad I did. I wouldn't say the book was slow by any means, but it reads more like a long family saga, although it takes place over just 8 weeks or so. I did have a hard time finishing it quickly and think it was probably a bit longer than it should have been. I liked how complex all the characters were and as an Indian-American myself, I could understand all the difficult family dynamics and how things can often be shoved under the rug and not acknowledged. How society's perception is considered so important, and can also be the most damaging. The house was a great metaphor for the family inside. While on the outside it was grand, the insides were deteriorating.
Thank you to Netgalley and Algonquin Books for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes