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A review by maseface
Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I don't think this book was for me but it was nice to read a classic by an Indian woman writer. Nectar and a Sieve is an interesting character study of a woman's journey from a young child bride to an old grandmother in India in the last years of British rule.
The book starts with Rukmani being married off at age 12 to an older man. I made many parallels between this book and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, which was the best book I read last year. Both are stories about a poor young woman of color who at a young age is married off to older men they hardly know. Some people might not like that this book doesn't condemn the practice of child marriage but I don't feel like it endorses it either. I think it's just portraying the reality of India at that time.
A big difference between Rukmani and Janie Crawford the protagonist of Their Eyes Were Watching God is that Janie takes a much more active role in her life and makes her own decisions. Rukmani on the other hand accepts what life gives her and doesn't ask for more. Some readers (myself included) might find this somewhat hard to relate to. A protagonist who doesn't want anything more and accepts their low station in life. But Rukmani's complacent attitude contrasted with other people's ambition is a major theme of the book.A part where this is shown is when Rukmani's sons go on strike demanding better pay she doesn't understand why they would do such a thing. In her mind the tannery that employs them has all the power so what's the point in going against them when you can't win?
Rukmani definitely suffers from something called the Heaven's Reward Fallacy. It's the belief that if you continually suffer and sacrifice without complaint you'll be rewarded with something great. I didn't realize it was so universal. Rukmani suffers all the injustices that befall a poor peasant woman in colonial India yet she doesn't complain. When Kenny the sole white character in the book asks her why she doesn't cry out for help, she counters that people were given their spirit to rise above adversity.
Again I don't think this book was for me. But I'm glad I read it. Rukmani is a very unique protagonist and it was nice to learn about the lives of people who are very different from me.
The book starts with Rukmani being married off at age 12 to an older man. I made many parallels between this book and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, which was the best book I read last year. Both are stories about a poor young woman of color who at a young age is married off to older men they hardly know. Some people might not like that this book doesn't condemn the practice of child marriage but I don't feel like it endorses it either. I think it's just portraying the reality of India at that time.
A big difference between Rukmani and Janie Crawford the protagonist of Their Eyes Were Watching God is that Janie takes a much more active role in her life and makes her own decisions. Rukmani on the other hand accepts what life gives her and doesn't ask for more. Some readers (myself included) might find this somewhat hard to relate to. A protagonist who doesn't want anything more and accepts their low station in life. But Rukmani's complacent attitude contrasted with other people's ambition is a major theme of the book.
Rukmani definitely suffers from something called the Heaven's Reward Fallacy. It's the belief that if you continually suffer and sacrifice without complaint you'll be rewarded with something great. I didn't realize it was so universal. Rukmani suffers all the injustices that befall a poor peasant woman in colonial India yet she doesn't complain. When Kenny the sole white character in the book asks her why she doesn't cry out for help, she counters that people were given their spirit to rise above adversity.
Again I don't think this book was for me. But I'm glad I read it. Rukmani is a very unique protagonist and it was nice to learn about the lives of people who are very different from me.