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A review by pran
The East Indian by Brinda Charry
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was a nice book.
But if you take out the fact that this is about one of the first Indians to come to America, there is nothing particularly special about the story or the writing. In fact, there were quite a lot of clichés in the plot and the characters, who were often very two-dimensional. Many of the characters were portrayed as wholly good or bad. The only character I felt was portrayed with some amount of depth was actually Dick.
I believe Charry falls into the trap of superimposing very modern ideas and ways of thinking onto characters who lived in the 1600s and while I understand that this is her way of showing the reader that this character is virtuous, I think it detracts from the historical accuracy and plausibility of the story.
I also felt like a lot of the atrocities and unkindness that Tony and other character would've faced were either glossed over, or written about in very vague terms. This surprised me, considering the author is a historian.
But if you take out the fact that this is about one of the first Indians to come to America, there is nothing particularly special about the story or the writing. In fact, there were quite a lot of clichés in the plot and the characters, who were often very two-dimensional. Many of the characters were portrayed as wholly good or bad. The only character I felt was portrayed with some amount of depth was actually Dick.
I believe Charry falls into the trap of superimposing very modern ideas and ways of thinking onto characters who lived in the 1600s and while I understand that this is her way of showing the reader that this character is virtuous, I think it detracts from the historical accuracy and plausibility of the story.
I also felt like a lot of the atrocities and unkindness that Tony and other character would've faced were either glossed over, or written about in very vague terms. This surprised me, considering the author is a historian.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Child abuse and Sexual assault