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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Recite us something, won't you?" "Where the head is held high, Where knowledge is free, Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls. ... Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let me and my country awake." Every schoolchild in India knew at least this. The judge began to laugh in a cheerless and horrible manner. How he hated this dingy season. It angered him for reasons beyond Mutt's unhappiness; it made a mockery of him, his ideals. When he looked about he saw he was not in charge: mold in his toothbrush, snakes slithering unafraid right over the patio, furniture gaining weight, and Cho Oyu also soaking up water, crumbling like a mealy loaf. With each storm's bashing, less of it was habitable. The judge felt old, very old, and as the house crumbled about him, his mind, too, seemed to be giving way, doors he had kept firmly closed between one thought and the next, dissolving. It was now forty years since he had been a student of poetry.
- The Inheritance of loss by Kiran Desai
.
.
I'm struggling to determine whether this book was commendable or not. It's often lauded as one of the finest examples of postcolonial literature, and I can certainly recognize its significance in that regard. It vividly depicts the repercussions of English colonialism in India and explores the pursuit of the American dream amidst societal divides. However, I also believe that a deep understanding of Indian culture and values is necessary to truly appreciate its depth. The narrative encompasses a multitude of themes, from the struggles of illegal immigrants to identity crises and the Gorkhaland movement, spanning across settings in America, India, and Nepal. Through the intertwined stories of Sai, the orphaned granddaughter of a retired judge, and Biju, the son of the judge's longtime cook, Desai crafts a poignant tale of reflection, aspiration, and longing. While I found the exploration of divisions—be they geographical, national, or religious—fascinating, and admired Desai's skillful prose and insightful observations, I felt that the plot lacked momentum. Despite this, I was captivated by the beauty of Desai's writing and the intricate portrayal of her characters' hopes and regrets.
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Critics have rightfully commented on the bleak outlook this novel presents. As the title suggests, it is not a feel-good story. But the two plots, Biju's and Sai's, are bombasts, touching on everything - poverty, race, imperialism, insurrection, immigration, etc., in effect delivering caricature, not downbeat melodrama. What some critics in 2006 seemed to let slip is just how wry and humorous Desai's writing can be. She dispatches cruelties not to wrench the hearts of her readers, but to puncture hot airs in the institutions that do cause harm, that do create despair. The characters are unhappy, chasing dreams only to be undermined and abused by global currents and systems outside their control. It is a Chaplin-in-factory skit, the glib delivery softening the blow-but shining light, still, on the realities at play. Make no mistake: though Desai casts her characters in Sisyphusian tasks, her target is never the person rolling up the boulder, but the mountain itself.
Absolutely loved this book!
The characters all felt so familiar and real. The recurrent themes of the ways that colonialism still plays itself out in the Indian subcontinent and beyond, themes of belonging.
I loved to read a book set mostly in the Himalayas - I could see the sun on the snow capped peaks, feel the sogginess of the monsoon months, the winding roads - all things that I know so well.
The characters all felt so familiar and real. The recurrent themes of the ways that colonialism still plays itself out in the Indian subcontinent and beyond, themes of belonging.
I loved to read a book set mostly in the Himalayas - I could see the sun on the snow capped peaks, feel the sogginess of the monsoon months, the winding roads - all things that I know so well.
I first purchased this book the day it was available in stores and attempted to read it but it simply got on my nerves and I put it down (something I rarely do) after a 100 pages. Mainly cause I felt that the whole thing was overwrought and I wasn’t really going through a great time in my personal life either and the book’s pessimism didn’t do much for me.
Now it’s on the list so I attempted to re-read it.
Plot-wise it’s all about three main characters who lose their innocence in different ways. A Judge who feels like an outcast in both his own country and England. Sai a girl who dates an intellectual turned revolutionary and Biju (the cook’s son), who has immigrated to New York City in order to find opportunities. All the destinies entwine and each character moves through a process of self discovery, not through the best means though. There are other supporting characters who play an important part in shaping these people’s futures and it affects them as well.
Although it is a complex and interesting read, even witty and funny at times I found the whole thing to be remarkably souless, all of Desai’s characters are losers lacking in sympathy and this makes the novel drag at times. With the exception of the Judges’ sojourn in Cambridge (where he acts like a loser as well, but it is humorous) I can’t say I warmed to the book.
Despite this factor I did like the way Desai protrayed a changing India and the generation gap and I did want to know how the novel would unfold and end. It is a pity because this could have been a perfect novel. All it needed was some heart.
Now it’s on the list so I attempted to re-read it.
Plot-wise it’s all about three main characters who lose their innocence in different ways. A Judge who feels like an outcast in both his own country and England. Sai a girl who dates an intellectual turned revolutionary and Biju (the cook’s son), who has immigrated to New York City in order to find opportunities. All the destinies entwine and each character moves through a process of self discovery, not through the best means though. There are other supporting characters who play an important part in shaping these people’s futures and it affects them as well.
Although it is a complex and interesting read, even witty and funny at times I found the whole thing to be remarkably souless, all of Desai’s characters are losers lacking in sympathy and this makes the novel drag at times. With the exception of the Judges’ sojourn in Cambridge (where he acts like a loser as well, but it is humorous) I can’t say I warmed to the book.
Despite this factor I did like the way Desai protrayed a changing India and the generation gap and I did want to know how the novel would unfold and end. It is a pity because this could have been a perfect novel. All it needed was some heart.
I have attempted to read this book twice in 2008 but after two attempts never made it more than 100 pages. This book did not grab my attention and hold it and in the first 100 pages the characters were not memorable to the point that I had to pick up the book to remember their names. I am disappointed and had high hopes for this book based on other reviews.
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
This was a really ambitious work that set out to show how big external forces (like colonialism, globalism, capitalism, etc) can affect the idea of a country — India in this case — and the lives of individuals. I really appreciated what she was doing with this. I also loved the back and forth in time within a person’s memory where a certain object or event would trigger and even influence a memory from the past. What did not work as well for me was her sentence-level writing. While some parts, especially the dialogue felt snappy, I would be stopped dead in my tracks by the most weirdly worded flowery sentences. I think the Booker loves a book about colonialism and so I can see why this took the prize.
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
took me nearly four months to finish this for school booooo
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Classism
Incredible writing. Good portrait of the difficulty of making one's way in a changed or different culture. But the story didn't move enough to make it a 'great read'