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A review by pran
We That Are Young by Preti Taneja
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Where to start... this retelling of King Lear had a very strong start and I was really enjoying the first part of the book. It is told in 6 acts and each act is from the point of view of a different character, with short interludes from the pov of the 'Lear' character.
However, once I got to act four it felt far too repetitive and there was a lot of information which was ultimately irrelevant to the main story and ideas.
The bottom line is that I loved what Taneja was doing with this book but the editing was virtually non-existent, which led to the problems with pacing, repetition and syntax errors.
Another reviewer has complained about grammar/syntax errors in the book as well, but some of the examples they used were actually just Indian-English dialect. I want to clarify that I am aware of the difference, but there were multiple genuine errors in the book. It was even to the point where I was wondering if the correct draft of the book was sent to print.
I couldn't help but compare this book to Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres, which I think was ultimately a better executed Lear retelling. However I think the setting of We That Are Young was much more interesting and unique.
Also, the title of the book references one of the main themes of the book, which is the conflict between youth and age in modern India, but this theme didn't seem, to me, to be addressed much in the book itself.There was too much focus on Jeet and Jivan's storylines in favour of the decline of Bapuji and how that impacted his relationship with his daughters, which would've fit better with the themes of the book.
However, once I got to act four it felt far too repetitive and there was a lot of information which was ultimately irrelevant to the main story and ideas.
The bottom line is that I loved what Taneja was doing with this book but the editing was virtually non-existent, which led to the problems with pacing, repetition and syntax errors.
Another reviewer has complained about grammar/syntax errors in the book as well, but some of the examples they used were actually just Indian-English dialect. I want to clarify that I am aware of the difference, but there were multiple genuine errors in the book. It was even to the point where I was wondering if the correct draft of the book was sent to print.
I couldn't help but compare this book to Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres, which I think was ultimately a better executed Lear retelling. However I think the setting of We That Are Young was much more interesting and unique.
Also, the title of the book references one of the main themes of the book, which is the conflict between youth and age in modern India, but this theme didn't seem, to me, to be addressed much in the book itself.