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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
In an newspaper interview about what is only her 2nd novel Arundhati Roy compared this book to a city. I have no better introduction to the hybrid style of this book than this excerpt: “Big cities are often chaotic and confusing for outsiders. It takes a while to find your way around. There are large boulevards and small roads. Some find their place in the city, others don't. Here and there there are roadblocks. It is the same with the structure of this book. There are dead ends, not everything is neatly worked out. The book has a hybrid and noisy character, it contains pamphlets, police reports, letters. That suits the noisy world in which we live.”
Hybrid and noisy, you can surely say that: this book is swarming with characters, Roy uses different styles and registers, and above all, she screams her activist messages very loudly from the rooftops. The latter is particularly striking: Roy constantly addresses the various injustices that occur in Indian society (and by extension the globalized world). Ethnic violence, discrimination against transgenders, the corruption and abuse of power by politicians and government officials, the powerlessness of ecological activists and of small, "fallen" people, etc…. it is all covered, constantly repeated in different forms and especially in the part about Kashmir also very crudely. So, this is an extremely political book, in which Roy refers to concrete scandals and abuses and to politicians who today promote extremism and discrimination. Especially the message to the current Prime Minister of India, the extreme Hindu nationalist Mohdi, is very clear.
But of course, there is not only politics in this book. If you are looking for a common denominator, then I would say this novel is essentially about limits and delimitations and how people cope with it in different ways. To make this theme concrete, Roy presents a whole mosaic of characters and stories, almost tumbling over each other. Doing this she wants to illustrate the chaos of (Indian) life, but unfortunately it diminishes the power of her story. As a reader, for example, you would be only too happy that she had worked out the main character Ajum, the "hijra", the transgender woman born in a male body, in a deeper, psychological way; Ajum certainly is the unifying character in this novel, and Roy to a certain extent weaves a poetic universe around this epic figure, but still, Ajum doesn’t emerge as a ‘full’ character.
Roy also demands quite a bit from her reader. This novel is teeming with references to Indian history, situations and concepts that require considerable prior knowledge. I have the impression that Roy thinks that the reader should make the effort to get involved, and she has a right to think that. But it doesn't make reading easier. On the one hand, this book gives an overwhelming impression of the enormous diversity of India, but on the other hand, the literary content engorges just a little too much in the political message. (2.5 stars)
Hybrid and noisy, you can surely say that: this book is swarming with characters, Roy uses different styles and registers, and above all, she screams her activist messages very loudly from the rooftops. The latter is particularly striking: Roy constantly addresses the various injustices that occur in Indian society (and by extension the globalized world). Ethnic violence, discrimination against transgenders, the corruption and abuse of power by politicians and government officials, the powerlessness of ecological activists and of small, "fallen" people, etc…. it is all covered, constantly repeated in different forms and especially in the part about Kashmir also very crudely. So, this is an extremely political book, in which Roy refers to concrete scandals and abuses and to politicians who today promote extremism and discrimination. Especially the message to the current Prime Minister of India, the extreme Hindu nationalist Mohdi, is very clear.
But of course, there is not only politics in this book. If you are looking for a common denominator, then I would say this novel is essentially about limits and delimitations and how people cope with it in different ways. To make this theme concrete, Roy presents a whole mosaic of characters and stories, almost tumbling over each other. Doing this she wants to illustrate the chaos of (Indian) life, but unfortunately it diminishes the power of her story. As a reader, for example, you would be only too happy that she had worked out the main character Ajum, the "hijra", the transgender woman born in a male body, in a deeper, psychological way; Ajum certainly is the unifying character in this novel, and Roy to a certain extent weaves a poetic universe around this epic figure, but still, Ajum doesn’t emerge as a ‘full’ character.
Roy also demands quite a bit from her reader. This novel is teeming with references to Indian history, situations and concepts that require considerable prior knowledge. I have the impression that Roy thinks that the reader should make the effort to get involved, and she has a right to think that. But it doesn't make reading easier. On the one hand, this book gives an overwhelming impression of the enormous diversity of India, but on the other hand, the literary content engorges just a little too much in the political message. (2.5 stars)
Some beautiful passages by a lyrical writer, and an interesting education for a western layperson like myself regarding the history of Kashmir. But I found the plot hard to follow. There really is no plot - the book is more like a collection of scenes and short stories and the characters are not differentiated enough to really feel invested much in any of them.
Had I understood Indian culture and history better and could read Urdu and Hindustani perhaps this novel of convoluted plotlines and an excess of characters would have felt more navigable. I frequently felt rather lost trying to keep track of characters or worried that I missed the significance of certain gestures or events. What saved it for me was the warmth I grew to have for several characters which pulled me thru any difficulties.
I'm really struggling with a star rating for this book. I'm leaning towards a three because some of the characters really stuck with me. In particular Anjum. However, it really really dragged for me and it felt like a chore to finish reading so I'm probably really at a two. I'll round up for now, but I may revise in a few days.
A quote from this book: "I would like to write one of those sophisticated stories in which even though nothing much happens there's lots to write about."
Up until about the last 15% of this book, I felt like this was it. The writing is beautiful. The characters (at least several of them - it's a huge cast) are well developed and, if not interesting, intriguing. This read like several unfinished novellas in one collection. I think some people who gave up on it never saw that they did all come together in the end but it was a LONG time coming. They weren't so much connected as intersecting.
Another quote, "How to tell a shattered story? By slowly becoming everybody. No. By slowly becoming everything.” This is another truth about the book. It expands so much, tries to tell so much and includes so many characters, it feels disjointed. As I said, it does come together, but it works just so hard to get there.
A few random thoughts on the book - even though my own country is currently sending me into fits of despair, a book like this reminds one that we are still so incredibly lucky by accident of birth to be here, not somewhere else. I am woefully ignorant about the history of Kashmir (in all ways not Led Zeppelin) and India. I felt very lost and confused during much of this book. It felt like an intimate knowledge of that history was really integral to understanding the nuances of this book. Even a lot of time spent with Professor Google left me feeling unsatisfied. If I could do it over again, I'd at least get a good working knowledge of the political situation in Kashmir from the late 80s onward before picking up this book. I may have been able to follow it better if I had.
I also suspect this book is a bit of a political hot potato and that I just don't know the situation enough to fully grasp that. It feels like a lot of anti-India sentiment and I bet the novel caused some controversy there.
A quote from this book: "I would like to write one of those sophisticated stories in which even though nothing much happens there's lots to write about."
Up until about the last 15% of this book, I felt like this was it. The writing is beautiful. The characters (at least several of them - it's a huge cast) are well developed and, if not interesting, intriguing. This read like several unfinished novellas in one collection. I think some people who gave up on it never saw that they did all come together in the end but it was a LONG time coming. They weren't so much connected as intersecting.
Another quote, "How to tell a shattered story? By slowly becoming everybody. No. By slowly becoming everything.” This is another truth about the book. It expands so much, tries to tell so much and includes so many characters, it feels disjointed. As I said, it does come together, but it works just so hard to get there.
A few random thoughts on the book - even though my own country is currently sending me into fits of despair, a book like this reminds one that we are still so incredibly lucky by accident of birth to be here, not somewhere else. I am woefully ignorant about the history of Kashmir (in all ways not Led Zeppelin) and India. I felt very lost and confused during much of this book. It felt like an intimate knowledge of that history was really integral to understanding the nuances of this book. Even a lot of time spent with Professor Google left me feeling unsatisfied. If I could do it over again, I'd at least get a good working knowledge of the political situation in Kashmir from the late 80s onward before picking up this book. I may have been able to follow it better if I had.
I also suspect this book is a bit of a political hot potato and that I just don't know the situation enough to fully grasp that. It feels like a lot of anti-India sentiment and I bet the novel caused some controversy there.
4.5 stars. When the book is focused on the narratives of its main characters, 5 stars (I didn't love some of the digressions as they happened, though I did appreciate how they all came together later in the story). My knowledge of India and of Kashmir is woefully inadequate; as a result, I'm sure I didn't appreciate everything that was happening in the story as deeply as I could have. But Roy is a strong storyteller, and her use of language is surprising and cutting and gorgeous--the book is beautiful and thought-provoking and devastating all at once.
This is my first novel of Arundhati Roy. I have heard about her through newspaper , and through various controversies (especially related to sedtion and dissent). I never had any inclination to her ideas. Frankly speaking I never cared about her ideology. Her novel The God of Small Things is on my to-read-list. But somehow this time , I picked this novel. But on reading the novel, whatever the media tell about her is justified.
First of all, the story of hijra (Anjum) was new to me. Apart from books on human rights issues of Transgender, I never thought that someone could write a novel with a Hijra as protagonist. The Old Delhi is described lucidly. Young generation does not know about the main Delhi (original Delhi or famously called as 06 (pin code of Jama Masjid)). Only through this , I came to know about the Delhite life. . . It also introduces us to Muslim life and obviously life of Transgenders
The changes a transgender person undergoes during his/her growing ages, can't be felt other. The transgender baby can't talk about his/her feelings to others. He/She can't attribute what is happening with him/her. The textbook on biology generally deals with male and female anatomy , transgender child is not able to relate that to self. His /her parents are also in misery . Once the transgender person is accepted widely and their gender is given wide publicity especially in books , and by changing of overall perception towards them, we will be doing a much needed justice to them. Aftab found himself wanting to be her. or That is us. That is our ancestry, our history, our story. We were never commoners, you see, we were members of the staff of the Royal Palace These are powerful line. The summary of life of hijras is - Ordinary people in the Duniya – what did they know about what it takes to live the life of a Hijra? What did they know about the rules, the discipline and the sacrifices? Who today knew that there had been times when all of them, including she, Ustad Kulsoom Bi herself, had been driven to begging for alms at traffic lights? That they had built themselves up, bit by bit, humiliation by humiliation, from there? The Khwabgah was called Khwabgah, Ustad Kulsoom Bi said, because it was where special people, blessed people, came with their dreams that could not be realized in the Duniya. In the Khwabgah, Holy Souls trapped in the wrong bodies were liberated.
Author due to her leftist tendency, is against the BJP govt. There was no need of bringing Godhara Riots or Gujarat Lalla or even saffornisation of system into the novel. But she has dropped visible references through out the novel. There was no need to introduce content regarding Anjum teaching Gaytri Mantra to Zainab. It could all be avoided. But the author in her extreme leftist tendency and a general hatred towards a particular party , have intentionally wrote such references.
Similarly there was no need to include Kashmir and Tilo's character or even the maoists into the novel. There was no direct connect to Anjum's story.
For Kashmir, these lines fits perfectly "An administration that was at war with a ruthless insurgency cannot be held to the same standards as one that is functioning in ordinary, peaceful conditions." and meaning of azadi - "that if you put four Kashmiris in a room and ask them to specify what exactly they mean by Azadi, what exactly are its ideological and geographic contours, they would probably end up slitting each other’s throats. "
I personally think that even after 20 years of insurgency, we have not solved it . It is our failure. Solely our failure. Kashmir is lost casue. There is no imporvment in years of police and military presence. Lets hope that after removal of 370 A, the situation improves. "Tourists flew out. Journalists flew in. Honeymooners flew out. Soldiers flew in. Women flocked around police stations and army camps holding up a forest of thumbed, dog-eared, passport-sized photographs grown soft with tears: Please Sir, have you seen my boy anywhere? Have you seen my husband? Has my brother by any chance passed through your hands? And the Sirs swelled their chests and bristled their moustaches and played with their medals" . Situation is dire
Slowly and slowly Anjum had created her world "Jannat Guest House and Funneral services". It has expanded enormously. She had created an ecosystem. New members were welcomed with warmth.
Overall the novel was kind of new to me. I am now eager to read other novels of Arundhati Roy. Since the present novel has talked about Kashmir, I got curious and have searched few novels on that and have selected " Kashmir: A Case of Freedom by Tariq Ali . Now I am more curious about the novels of other leftist writers. Their novels will give a different insight and will force me to question me long held belief and notion of capitalist (given by my wife, and Ankit verma and Saurabh).
First of all, the story of hijra (Anjum) was new to me. Apart from books on human rights issues of Transgender, I never thought that someone could write a novel with a Hijra as protagonist. The Old Delhi is described lucidly. Young generation does not know about the main Delhi (original Delhi or famously called as 06 (pin code of Jama Masjid)). Only through this , I came to know about the Delhite life. . . It also introduces us to Muslim life and obviously life of Transgenders
The changes a transgender person undergoes during his/her growing ages, can't be felt other. The transgender baby can't talk about his/her feelings to others. He/She can't attribute what is happening with him/her. The textbook on biology generally deals with male and female anatomy , transgender child is not able to relate that to self. His /her parents are also in misery . Once the transgender person is accepted widely and their gender is given wide publicity especially in books , and by changing of overall perception towards them, we will be doing a much needed justice to them. Aftab found himself wanting to be her. or That is us. That is our ancestry, our history, our story. We were never commoners, you see, we were members of the staff of the Royal Palace These are powerful line. The summary of life of hijras is - Ordinary people in the Duniya – what did they know about what it takes to live the life of a Hijra? What did they know about the rules, the discipline and the sacrifices? Who today knew that there had been times when all of them, including she, Ustad Kulsoom Bi herself, had been driven to begging for alms at traffic lights? That they had built themselves up, bit by bit, humiliation by humiliation, from there? The Khwabgah was called Khwabgah, Ustad Kulsoom Bi said, because it was where special people, blessed people, came with their dreams that could not be realized in the Duniya. In the Khwabgah, Holy Souls trapped in the wrong bodies were liberated.
Author due to her leftist tendency, is against the BJP govt. There was no need of bringing Godhara Riots or Gujarat Lalla or even saffornisation of system into the novel. But she has dropped visible references through out the novel. There was no need to introduce content regarding Anjum teaching Gaytri Mantra to Zainab. It could all be avoided. But the author in her extreme leftist tendency and a general hatred towards a particular party , have intentionally wrote such references.
Similarly there was no need to include Kashmir and Tilo's character or even the maoists into the novel. There was no direct connect to Anjum's story.
For Kashmir, these lines fits perfectly "An administration that was at war with a ruthless insurgency cannot be held to the same standards as one that is functioning in ordinary, peaceful conditions." and meaning of azadi - "that if you put four Kashmiris in a room and ask them to specify what exactly they mean by Azadi, what exactly are its ideological and geographic contours, they would probably end up slitting each other’s throats. "
I personally think that even after 20 years of insurgency, we have not solved it . It is our failure. Solely our failure. Kashmir is lost casue. There is no imporvment in years of police and military presence. Lets hope that after removal of 370 A, the situation improves. "Tourists flew out. Journalists flew in. Honeymooners flew out. Soldiers flew in. Women flocked around police stations and army camps holding up a forest of thumbed, dog-eared, passport-sized photographs grown soft with tears: Please Sir, have you seen my boy anywhere? Have you seen my husband? Has my brother by any chance passed through your hands? And the Sirs swelled their chests and bristled their moustaches and played with their medals" . Situation is dire
Slowly and slowly Anjum had created her world "Jannat Guest House and Funneral services". It has expanded enormously. She had created an ecosystem. New members were welcomed with warmth.
Overall the novel was kind of new to me. I am now eager to read other novels of Arundhati Roy. Since the present novel has talked about Kashmir, I got curious and have searched few novels on that and have selected " Kashmir: A Case of Freedom by Tariq Ali . Now I am more curious about the novels of other leftist writers. Their novels will give a different insight and will force me to question me long held belief and notion of capitalist (given by my wife, and Ankit verma and Saurabh).
It jumped between too many storylines and introduced too many characters. None of the characters held my interest enough to continue.
Life is too short for literary fiction bogged down by the pressure of the sophomore effort and an attempt to be both soothing, illustrative, and controversial to most people at most times.
Uma história densa, complexa e difícil de ler. A maneira como a autora introduz as personagens não facilita a compreensão do leitor e senti-me várias vezes confusa. Usa termos que não conhecia, mas que também não explica no livro, quase que exigindo um conhecimento prévio sobre o assunto - nestas situações o google foi o meu melhor amigo. Para além disso, aborda temas muito delicados e complicados, é uma história triste, de guerra, sangue e sofrimento. Avança devagar, muito devagar... Acabei por não ficar com nada do livro: as personagens não me cativaram, a história é demasiado negativa, a velocidade da narrativa não foi de encontro ao meu ritmo. Fico sempre com pena quando os livros não me marcam.