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georgiaswad 's review for:

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
4.0

how the fuck do i tackle describing a book that took me months to read and holds the same amount of content as like five full novels.
cast of characters - awesome. i loved the whole chatterji family, hanesh has a special place in my heart, everything would have been easier if maan and firoz had realised they should just be in love with each other, everyone needs a friend like malati, funny little bhaskar, mrs rupa mehra (i should call her ma) was always a joy, saeeda bhai, where does it end?
the interlocking stories felt so authentic and vital, i really believed that i was in there with them, living alongside their different family dramas and squabbles. these domestic disputes sat within and alongside historical tragedies and conflicts, the setting of early fifties india was so vivid (although some of the extended political chapters did make me think: ‘please vikram did this NEED, absolutely NEED to be over 1500 pages ?! but maybe im being unappreciative of historical and political nuance and importance - shut up mahesh kapoor gimme lata and kabir!)
the ending gave me pause, i understand the need for a suitable boy, but im far too much of a hopeless romantic to be satisfied with that. malati and i were in bitter agreement that i tried desperately to quell.
definitely an epic not for the faint of heart, but i feel that it sunk its roots into me over the course of reading it, and a little bit of my heart with always be in 1952 brahmpur.