The Inheritance of Loss

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It's a hit!

This book illustrates what is genuinely GOOD writing. The White Tiger (Aravind Adiga) on the other hand didn't cut it. Its a shocker that both book... (show more)

This book illustrates what is genuinely GOOD writing. The White Tiger (Aravind Adiga) on the other hand didn't cut it. Its a shocker that both books won the same award within a year of each other.

Set in the turbulent time of the mid 80s insurgency in Kalimpong, it touches on almost every contemporary global issue: terrorism, economic inequality, globalization, fundamentalism, political unrest and so on. Original, and in many ways, real.

The book also exposes the depth of knowledge and research on the part of the author which is a necessary second nature to all good novelists.

Kiran Desai manages to excel in ways her mother, Anita Desai (eg. The Zigzag Way), never managed to. Her writing is breathtakingly fresh, and a delightful presence in the world of cliches.

Thus, waiting with bated breath for more from this new addition to what is broadly referred to as South Asian fiction. (show less)

 

 

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No, it's a flop!

I don't even know how to write a review for this one. . . it was a challenging read. The story itself is written quite visually. Meaning everythi... (show more)

I don't even know how to write a review for this one. . . it was a challenging read. The story itself is written quite visually. Meaning everything is over detailed. It does paint some beautiful images in the reader's mind, but my general feeling is it was WAY TOO WORDY! I could have told this story much quicker. The basic premise is about how an intertwined family based in India is coping with their current situations, and how they are handling the decisions of their pasts. Unfortunately it is all set during a time of unrest everywhere. There are problems in India, problems in the United States, problems between relationships - be it grandfather/granddaughter, father/son or boyfriend/girlfriend - there are numerous "problems" happening throughout the story. There is little to no conflict resolution, and there is little to no ending. I kept waiting for the story to get better, to wrap it up to conclude in someway or get to a more definitive story line. There was none. I was surprised to hear that this one had won some literary awards. It is by far one of the most boring books I've read in quite some time. I do not recommend. (show less)

 

 

by Alana Mulford

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  While this is not a gripping, I can't put the book down read. It is a beautifully written, politically astute and humane novel. The book explores alienation masterfully whether is be from the perpective of the poor Indian immigrant waiter struggling in NYC, or the retired Indian judge trapped in his own colonised mind in post-colonial India. In doing this, it highlights the myriad conflicts and contradictions in society at all levels including politics, in relationships and in an individu... (show more)

  While this is not a gripping, I can't put the book down read. It is a beautifully written, politically astute and humane novel. The book explores alienation masterfully whether is be from the perpective of the poor Indian immigrant waiter struggling in NYC, or the retired Indian judge trapped in his own colonised mind in post-colonial India. In doing this, it highlights the myriad conflicts and contradictions in society at all levels including politics, in relationships and in an individual's conflicts with herself. The book is set against the backdrop of the beautiful Himalaya mountains and the insurgencies in the surrounding area. The narrative appears to be deceptively hopeless.... (show less)

   

  by Faranaaz Veriava on Feb 03, 2008 at 08:11AM

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  It was an interesting read to say the least. Though the story sort of meanders around, Desai does a wonderful job in describing the settings and the scenary in her own colorful way. She takes her time in defining the characters in the story, and you can't help but identify with them. It's impressive how she's able to paint them in various shades of grey.

  The story switches between the Himalayan hill-station of Kamilpong (during the potically unstable late 70's and early 80's) to the stree... (show more)

  It was an interesting read to say the least. Though the story sort of meanders around, Desai does a wonderful job in describing the settings and the scenary in her own colorful way. She takes her time in defining the characters in the story, and you can't help but identify with them. It's impressive how she's able to paint them in various shades of grey.

  The story switches between the Himalayan hill-station of Kamilpong (during the potically unstable late 70's and early 80's) to the streets of NYC, as viewed through the eyes of an illegal immigrant. The pace by itself is not really gripping, and frequent flashback to past events makes it even slower.

  I was hoping a little more from the ending - quite a few things don't get resolved and the author leaves it to the reader to interpret how things would have gone from there. All in all - a decent book (a must-read if you've ever lived in an Indian hill-station) (show less)

   

  by Siddharth Jain on Nov 18, 2009 at 08:28PM

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