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A review by lilhaunt
Mother Ocean Father Nation by Nishant Batsha
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Mother Ocean Father Nation was pretty okay for a debut novel. Batsha has great potential as an author. The premise of the book was fantastic, and I was fond of our two main characters, Jaipal and Bhumi (except for when she literally slapped a baby across the face ). They are complicated characters and--while I'm not sure I'd say they're layered--they do have various defining attributes, positive and negative. Each has their own unique motivations.
Why I'm not rating this novel higher is because I felt distanced from almost everything that happened. The island where this all takes place is not named. Most happenings were told directly, little showing was going on, and a lot of the dialogue was... off. For example, there is a part where the doctor confides critical information to Jaipal instead of his mother. Rather than having an emotional reaction, Jaipal only asks "Why not tell Ma this?". Naturally, Jaipal later conveys this to his mother, who says "He didn't tell me . . . That doctor is a coward. Can't look me in the eye. He finds it easier to hide behind other men.". While I appreciate the message here regarding sexism and how women are viewed, it was told too directly, and that being someone's first reaction to information that a person close to them will die is too bizarre.
Here's another example of strange dialogue.
Why I'm not rating this novel higher is because I felt distanced from almost everything that happened. The island where this all takes place is not named. Most happenings were told directly, little showing was going on, and a lot of the dialogue was... off. For example, there is a part where the doctor confides critical information to Jaipal instead of his mother. Rather than having an emotional reaction, Jaipal only asks "Why not tell Ma this?". Naturally, Jaipal later conveys this to his mother, who says "He didn't tell me . . . That doctor is a coward. Can't look me in the eye. He finds it easier to hide behind other men.". While I appreciate the message here regarding sexism and how women are viewed, it was told too directly, and that being someone's first reaction to information that a person close to them will die is too bizarre.
Here's another example of strange dialogue.
"Let's just go to the Puzzle. Keep it simple."
"I don't feel like it . . . Maybe you should just go without me."
"Do it for me?" . . .
"Are you sure?"
With some polish this really has potential to be a great book, and you may still be able to love it if you don't mind reading from a distance.