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A review by dejnozkova
The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
To be honest I’m not entirely sure what to think of this book. When I closed the cover I felt kind of confused and dissatisfied. The book is about a young woman from Bangalore (drenched in the privilege of city life) who ventures into Kashmir in pursuit of an old friend, where she discovers the messy conflict between India’s military and the locals.
What I loved about this book most was actually the characterization of Shalini’s mother, who suffers from mental illness, leaving a bittersweet taste in the mouths of all who love her. The difficulty of the mother-daughter relationship in the book was beautifully done. I also appreciated that even though we feel for Shalini we can also be very angry at her for being so stupid and naïve about a conflict she does not understand. And some people have docked points for this, which I disagree with. Sometimes it pays to have an unlikable narrator, as in this instance it might put you in the shoes of those who aren’t so privileged who have come to be angry with such naïvety. Shalini is a representation of the average urban Indian who lives in ignorance and causes damage just by that fact alone —even if she doesn’t mean to. Just having her heart in the right place isn’t enough. I am also VERY in love with Madhuri Vijay’s writing style. She’s witty, descriptive and ironic, which kept me turning the pages despite the book being paced slightly on the slow side.
But what I really didn’t like about the book was how vague it was? It feels like the book lacks direction due to a lack of detail surrounding the actual conflicts that affect the characters Shalini meets. There’s not much to be said in the way of motives for the parties involved in the action and the violence appears arbitrary. Near the end Shalini places herself adjacent to white tourists who visit Bangalore and discover “yoga and poverty” for the first time. So she’s aware that she’s a voyeur to issues that aren’t her own, but given her experiences I’d imagine she’d be far more invested in Kashmiri issues but she isn’t? She’s a coward? And maybe that’s the point of the book, that privileged people can be exposed to hurt and injustice (and even be a part of it) and can still walk away from it and not have to deal with it again? Which idk, it doesn’t feel very inspiring or revolutionary to me in any way. I know not all literature has to be a call-to-action exactly, but for a longer book I was kind of hoping for more character development at the very least. The ending felt weak and uninspired. I also feel that for as much detail as we get about Shalini’s mother, it doesn’t have ENOUGH to do with Shalini’s travels to Kashmir, despite her mother being a major catalyst for her going. I would’ve liked to see more parallels and “a-ha” moments in way of character development relating to the Mom Narrative as Shalini’s adventure in Kashmir unfolds.
I don’t know Madhuri Vijay’s background outside the fact that she herself is from Bangalore. And it feels like she’s very much like Shalini; she cares about other people enough to write a novel of their plight, but she doesn’t know enough to fully “get it” and she falls short on commentary. That said, this is her first work and I see so much promise and I would be interested in reading more from her in the future. Her writing is brilliant and engaging, when she digs deep into a character she can make an unlovable character remarkably interesting and magical, and although I think she missed the mark on this one I feel that she has the potential to create something truly great. I would love to see her explore more personal stories. This book was very politically oriented but it shined strongest when it focused on the difficult parent-child dynamics, mental illness, and navigating distrust. Perhaps this area could be her strength in future novels.
What I loved about this book most was actually the characterization of Shalini’s mother, who suffers from mental illness, leaving a bittersweet taste in the mouths of all who love her. The difficulty of the mother-daughter relationship in the book was beautifully done. I also appreciated that even though we feel for Shalini we can also be very angry at her for being so stupid and naïve about a conflict she does not understand. And some people have docked points for this, which I disagree with. Sometimes it pays to have an unlikable narrator, as in this instance it might put you in the shoes of those who aren’t so privileged who have come to be angry with such naïvety. Shalini is a representation of the average urban Indian who lives in ignorance and causes damage just by that fact alone —even if she doesn’t mean to. Just having her heart in the right place isn’t enough. I am also VERY in love with Madhuri Vijay’s writing style. She’s witty, descriptive and ironic, which kept me turning the pages despite the book being paced slightly on the slow side.
But what I really didn’t like about the book was how vague it was? It feels like the book lacks direction due to a lack of detail surrounding the actual conflicts that affect the characters Shalini meets. There’s not much to be said in the way of motives for the parties involved in the action and the violence appears arbitrary. Near the end Shalini places herself adjacent to white tourists who visit Bangalore and discover “yoga and poverty” for the first time. So she’s aware that she’s a voyeur to issues that aren’t her own, but given her experiences I’d imagine she’d be far more invested in Kashmiri issues but she isn’t? She’s a coward? And maybe that’s the point of the book, that privileged people can be exposed to hurt and injustice (and even be a part of it) and can still walk away from it and not have to deal with it again? Which idk, it doesn’t feel very inspiring or revolutionary to me in any way. I know not all literature has to be a call-to-action exactly, but for a longer book I was kind of hoping for more character development at the very least. The ending felt weak and uninspired. I also feel that for as much detail as we get about Shalini’s mother, it doesn’t have ENOUGH to do with Shalini’s travels to Kashmir, despite her mother being a major catalyst for her going. I would’ve liked to see more parallels and “a-ha” moments in way of character development relating to the Mom Narrative as Shalini’s adventure in Kashmir unfolds.
I don’t know Madhuri Vijay’s background outside the fact that she herself is from Bangalore. And it feels like she’s very much like Shalini; she cares about other people enough to write a novel of their plight, but she doesn’t know enough to fully “get it” and she falls short on commentary. That said, this is her first work and I see so much promise and I would be interested in reading more from her in the future. Her writing is brilliant and engaging, when she digs deep into a character she can make an unlovable character remarkably interesting and magical, and although I think she missed the mark on this one I feel that she has the potential to create something truly great. I would love to see her explore more personal stories. This book was very politically oriented but it shined strongest when it focused on the difficult parent-child dynamics, mental illness, and navigating distrust. Perhaps this area could be her strength in future novels.