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A review by ipekreading
Mother Ocean Father Nation by Nishant Batsha
4.0
On an unnamed island in 1985, a military coup has taken over the colonialist government and the racial tensions between the natives and the Indian community are incredibly high. Bhumi and Jaipal are siblings, Bhumi destined for success and at the locked-down university and Jaipal the unnoticed older brother, taking care of the family business and only getting distracted by his desires he tries to keep secret. The novel follows as the nationalist tensions increase and the paths of the sibling diverge.
The story is written beautifully and flows really well. It not only manages to capture the worries people face but also the day-to-day distractions they seek from the terribleness. The racism and the nationalism is heartbreaking. The post-coup set up of the island feels so real. Being without a country because what you call home rejects you is such a scary thought. And yet this book managed to touch on a lot of these and more in a weirdly lighthearted way that didn't take away from the seriousness of the topics that so many people are still facing. My only complaint is that everything seemed to come together with a bit clean and sadly that's seldom the case IRL.
Thank you Ecco Books and NetGalley for the ARC!
The story is written beautifully and flows really well. It not only manages to capture the worries people face but also the day-to-day distractions they seek from the terribleness. The racism and the nationalism is heartbreaking. The post-coup set up of the island feels so real. Being without a country because what you call home rejects you is such a scary thought. And yet this book managed to touch on a lot of these and more in a weirdly lighthearted way that didn't take away from the seriousness of the topics that so many people are still facing. My only complaint is that everything seemed to come together with a bit clean and sadly that's seldom the case IRL.
Thank you Ecco Books and NetGalley for the ARC!