A review by cseibs
Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry

3.0

A great family study. I picked up this book because it was on a recommended list of books about India by Indians. Strangely, though, I felt that this book could have been set anywhere. The family study was central, with Bombay (or Mumbai) serving only as backdrop. Mistry portrayed family discord with such unsparing honesty that at times I found the book hard to stomach. I remember feeling that A Fine Balance was Dickensian in its uninhibited portrayal of sadness and strife, and Mistry has not shied away from that approach in this novel. Because of this unvarnished take on family living, I particularly appreciated the epilogue and how Mistry stayed true to his characters to the end.