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A review by vidyareads
Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I actually called my mom after reading the first chapter. I wanted to tell her about the old lady, an 80 year old whose husband has passed away. I refer to my mom as Amma IRL so I’ll call the old lady Aunty, even though she’s called Amma in the book😊 just helps me keep them separate for this post
Aunty just exists in a room in her son’s house where rest of the family lives. Existing feels like the right word to use. She comes alive when her daughter moves her to her flat. I won’t tell you everything that happens after that but it’s not a spoiler that this has a significant detail owing to the Partition of India and Pakistan
I called Amma just now and told her that I had finished the book on Saturday and that it’s not a fast moving or action oriented in every page but rather a slow burn. I was sad at the end and as is typical of Amma, she shared her opinion, I can’t tell you what it is, it would be a spoiler. I also told her that I really liked how some of the original language text was left behind by Daisy Rockwell and not translated. Rockwell noted in the translator’s note that the original Indian text was not all Hindi but with a good mix of other languages. I love that she shared that detail. It made it more relevant and real because I definitely mix a lot of English, Hindi words when I speak in Tamil to Amma. I really enjoyed it to be able to read those Hindi or Punjabi words in an English book
This is a book to celebrate the greatness of a big book, of an Octogenarian Aunty character, of the beauty of translating a book and keeping the original language mix, and of giving us a solid story filled with love, sadness, familial complexity and the great Partition. But more than everything, I feel this book is very Indian, I don’t know how to express it any other way, simply put it reminds me of how I speak and of me
Highly recommend!
Aunty just exists in a room in her son’s house where rest of the family lives. Existing feels like the right word to use. She comes alive when her daughter moves her to her flat. I won’t tell you everything that happens after that but it’s not a spoiler that this has a significant detail owing to the Partition of India and Pakistan
I called Amma just now and told her that I had finished the book on Saturday and that it’s not a fast moving or action oriented in every page but rather a slow burn. I was sad at the end and as is typical of Amma, she shared her opinion, I can’t tell you what it is, it would be a spoiler. I also told her that I really liked how some of the original language text was left behind by Daisy Rockwell and not translated. Rockwell noted in the translator’s note that the original Indian text was not all Hindi but with a good mix of other languages. I love that she shared that detail. It made it more relevant and real because I definitely mix a lot of English, Hindi words when I speak in Tamil to Amma. I really enjoyed it to be able to read those Hindi or Punjabi words in an English book
This is a book to celebrate the greatness of a big book, of an Octogenarian Aunty character, of the beauty of translating a book and keeping the original language mix, and of giving us a solid story filled with love, sadness, familial complexity and the great Partition. But more than everything, I feel this book is very Indian, I don’t know how to express it any other way, simply put it reminds me of how I speak and of me
Highly recommend!