These Our Bodies, Possessed by Light - Dharini Bhaskar

Fiction

Verdict: Read it

This was also the first book I've ready by Dharini Bhaskar. It's also another oohhh pretty cover type books. I didn't really have any expectations when I picked it up. 

Dharini Bhaskar takes us through a family saga, juxtaposing relationships, marriage, and failed marriages between Deeya, the main character, her mother, and her grandmother. The patterns that repeat are visible and beg a question I often ask myself - are relationships hereditary because of the baggage we carry. While I still haven't reached a solid answer myself, it's always fun to find novels that pose the same question because I always have something else to think about. There's poetry woven in throughout the chapters which I enjoyed. 

There's not really a huge plot arc in this book. It's more of a journey through life and how relationships continue to affect people long after the events happen. With that, it is slow going sometimes, but if you stop to consider what the author is trying to get you to think about, it's actually quite interesting if you're interested in this type of thing.

Read it.

~Becky~

The Princess and the Political Agent - Binodini

 Fiction

Verdict: A difficult one, but Read it

As I mentioned, when one wanders through Indian novels and writers, each brings a specific flavor that can help the reader understand the culture that the novel stems from. Binodini's novel is no exception. While my daughter had a Manipuri boyfriend for a while and I have had some...acquaintances from Manipur and Assam as well, I have had very little exposure to Manipuri Culture and no exposure to literary works from there. To be quite frank, when i picked this up, I mistakenly thought that this was a Bengali novel. I was thrilled to find out otherwise. As with my previous post on Attia Hosain, the introduction to Binodini at the beginning was intimidating as hell. Related to the royal family of Manipur and quite the literary influence, Binodini has published just one novel, but many other poems and short works.

The novel follows one one of the Manipuri Princesses during the British Raj, when the Manipuri king was removed and sent into exile,  and through her life. The author has created a treasure trove of culture, court intrigue, and romance. As title suggests, the Princess ends up being a common law wife of an English Political agent. While he is portrayed as a compassionate and caring person, one cannot help but wonder why the princess would accept someone who is widely recognized as being a face of the enemy and not one of them. Binodini never really answers this question. While it is a fiction novel, she has based it on actual people and events. The princess actually was with the political agent.  

This was a difficult novel for me to follow. The author does her own thing and tells her story exactly as she wishes to - no apologies, very few explanations.  While the cultural value this novel has is quite something, it's not easily digestible. I found myself having to do additional research into words and such while I was reading. I don't fault the author for this, but those who do not invest in helping themselves understand will probably miss a great deal. I also found the characters very difficult to understand and identify with. As someone who loves Indian literature, this was frustrating for me. I also would have loved to have had further insight into interpersonal relationships between the characters. Many of the relationships were confusing at best, down right confounding at worst. True to form, Binodini has just presented the story, she does not explain. 

Manipuri literature is a new one for me, and I fully plan to see what else I can find to read from there. Hopefully I can develop my knowledge enough to fully appreciate the story Binodini has told. 

Read it, but unless you are Manipuri, plan on investing some time to investigate. If you don't, you'll miss the richness of this novel.

~Becky~

Sunlight on a Broken Column - Attia Hosain

Fiction

Read it

One of my favorite parts of books is the introduction - and even better an explanation of the author. They help open up the author's world to the reader. I had never heard of Attia Hosain before I started reading this novel. To say the least, the introduction on her was intimidating and I very much looked forward to reading her one and only novel. Anita Desai, another favorite authoress of mine wrote the forward which helped me on my way through the novel. When one investigates Indian novels, and if he or she is careful, the nuances of different locations and sub-cultures soon becomes very easily seen. This is very easy to see in Hosain's novel.

Sunlight on a Broken Column follows a young Muslim girl and her family from British era Lucknow to more modern times. The family struggles to change from a house where ladies are in purdah to learning to accept new norms. To say the least, it's not an easy transition and many struggle. It's difficult to avoid certain stereotypes when one talks about the Muslim community in India, however some of those spring from history and it's good to look at the historical attitudes to understand current culture. Hearing this from someone in the community, and in my opinion a neutral person, helps the reader get an accurate picture.

If my description doesn't tell you too much, it's because the author portrays ideas and everyday life. There's no story arc per say to follow. It's just everyday life and how it slowly changes. While this isn't always easy to follow, it's culture rich. 

I wish Attia Hosain had written other books. I would have like to delve a bit further into her mind.

Read it if you have the time to wander slowly and contemplate the breadcrumbs and cultural tidbits she lays out for you to find.

~Becky~

The Wasted Vigil - Nadeem Aslam

Fiction

Read it

This is my second book by Nadeem Aslam. I was prepared for another Pakistani in England story, but that is not what I got. What I found was even better than the first novel. 

Aslam takes us through a tragic story of a mixed family - a White Father, Afghani mother, and child - and how their lives have been linked to a Russian woman who came looking for her long lost brother. Afghanistan's history and war with Russia color the novel in the darkest of shades - you just know there are no happy endings here. And indeed you find out at the end that's true. 

The novel is fascinating, and very well done in terms of the author's understanding of Afghan culture and the reality of culture and how things are done in Afghanistan. He knows just how much hope and despair to balance to keep you moving on, desperate to prove yourself wrong that it's just that bad. But it is. 

I personally have not had much exposure to the effect that the Russians had on Afghanistan and vice versa, so that was interesting to learn about.  I most definitely look forward to reading more from Nadeem Aslam. 

It's not an easy read in terms of social niceties, but it is well worth it. Read it.

~Becky~