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kris_rainboes 's review for:
A Suitable Boy
by Vikram Seth
This book. THIS BOOK. I don't reread books terribly often, particularly not 1500-page books, but this one deserved it. It was the perfect way to get out of my head in a quarantine, and I love it as much as the first time. Possibly more, since I wasn't quite as caught up with wondering what happens next, and could just sink in and revel.
"Sinking in" is really the best way I can describe the reading experience. The story takes place in India shortly after Independence, and is populated with people who, like their country, are trying to find identity and meaning, and struggling to figure out where on the "old ways vs new" spectrum they want to be. It is a family saga, and I'd caution readers to make themselves notes of all the interrelationships between the characters. (Family trees of the four main families are provided, but they do not show how the families are all connected. Also, the book features dozens of other characters unrelated to those four groups, who pop in and out of the narrative.)
What is it about? Weeelllll... A lot, and yet not all that much. Basically it is about a mother searching for the appropriate husband for her daughter, and the daughter not entirely certain she wants Mom's help. But there are myriad subplots, both domestic and larger in scale, that weave in and out of the central story. And the characters feel so real, and are so clearly beloved by the author, that reading this book feels like inviting an old friend over for coffee - it doesn't matter what you do, and you might not do much at all, the important thing is the pleasure of the company.
India itself is almost a character in its own right. The descriptions are so vivid that you can almost smell the spices and gardens, hear the noise of the traffic and animals and dozens of languages, see the bright colors of the flowers and clothing and temples.
Yes, this book is a doorstop. But the "sub-books" within are all nicely contained and mostly under 100 pages each, so it is more manageable than it appears. And the writing is light and accessible, never too dense or self-important. Vikram Seth is a musician of the English language.
My wrists are glad that I finished the book, but my soul wishes it were longer.
"Sinking in" is really the best way I can describe the reading experience. The story takes place in India shortly after Independence, and is populated with people who, like their country, are trying to find identity and meaning, and struggling to figure out where on the "old ways vs new" spectrum they want to be. It is a family saga, and I'd caution readers to make themselves notes of all the interrelationships between the characters. (Family trees of the four main families are provided, but they do not show how the families are all connected. Also, the book features dozens of other characters unrelated to those four groups, who pop in and out of the narrative.)
What is it about? Weeelllll... A lot, and yet not all that much. Basically it is about a mother searching for the appropriate husband for her daughter, and the daughter not entirely certain she wants Mom's help. But there are myriad subplots, both domestic and larger in scale, that weave in and out of the central story. And the characters feel so real, and are so clearly beloved by the author, that reading this book feels like inviting an old friend over for coffee - it doesn't matter what you do, and you might not do much at all, the important thing is the pleasure of the company.
India itself is almost a character in its own right. The descriptions are so vivid that you can almost smell the spices and gardens, hear the noise of the traffic and animals and dozens of languages, see the bright colors of the flowers and clothing and temples.
Yes, this book is a doorstop. But the "sub-books" within are all nicely contained and mostly under 100 pages each, so it is more manageable than it appears. And the writing is light and accessible, never too dense or self-important. Vikram Seth is a musician of the English language.
My wrists are glad that I finished the book, but my soul wishes it were longer.