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A review by aayjaysbookshelf
Inheritance by Balli Kaur Jaswal
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I got this book on a preloved books sale, and I had no idea about the writer, the content or the story. But I am glad this turned out to be a good read, and a very new one for me as far as the story background goes.
Set in the developing Singapore of 1970s to 1990s, Inheritance is the story of a Sikh immigrant family that unfolds in parallel to the developing sociopolitical and geographical landscape of Singapore. The book being about a certain community (Sikh)already had my attention, but what made it unusual is the Singaporean element, which I found very odd until I read the book and got to know about the integration of Sikh community in Singapore by the British. Very strange, I know.
Anyways, coming to the story, this is a very well written contemporary fiction that handles sensitive topics like mental illness, identities and family dynamics with both clarity and grace. You could feel a palpable tension throughout the book as the family struggles to stay together yet is forced to tear apart, and the calmness of the resolution towards the end. I particularly liked how Balli Kaur's prose had a poetic quality to it, and how intricately it captured the micro behaviours and the subtle shifts and linked it with the slowly transforming landscape of Singapore of that time. The book offers an insight into not just the struggles of an immigrant family, but also the customs and traditions that are both a binding factor for a desi community yet also very limiting in a lot of ways. There is a tinge of sadness throughout the book, and the end is kept elusive, too, so pick this up if you're in the mood for a sad read, I'd say. Overall, a very good read. Balli Kaur's words are impactful, the story moves at a good pace and the ends are tied tightly ; a quality I've recently come to admire in books. Would like to read more of her works now.
Set in the developing Singapore of 1970s to 1990s, Inheritance is the story of a Sikh immigrant family that unfolds in parallel to the developing sociopolitical and geographical landscape of Singapore. The book being about a certain community (Sikh)already had my attention, but what made it unusual is the Singaporean element, which I found very odd until I read the book and got to know about the integration of Sikh community in Singapore by the British. Very strange, I know.
Anyways, coming to the story, this is a very well written contemporary fiction that handles sensitive topics like mental illness, identities and family dynamics with both clarity and grace. You could feel a palpable tension throughout the book as the family struggles to stay together yet is forced to tear apart, and the calmness of the resolution towards the end. I particularly liked how Balli Kaur's prose had a poetic quality to it, and how intricately it captured the micro behaviours and the subtle shifts and linked it with the slowly transforming landscape of Singapore of that time. The book offers an insight into not just the struggles of an immigrant family, but also the customs and traditions that are both a binding factor for a desi community yet also very limiting in a lot of ways. There is a tinge of sadness throughout the book, and the end is kept elusive, too, so pick this up if you're in the mood for a sad read, I'd say. Overall, a very good read. Balli Kaur's words are impactful, the story moves at a good pace and the ends are tied tightly ; a quality I've recently come to admire in books. Would like to read more of her works now.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Toxic relationship