Oct 01, 2016 01:15 AM
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When this sweet friend of mine whose recommendations I respect, suggested the book, the first fleeting thoughts that came to my mind about the book, thanks to Mani Ratnam and his tamil movie “Mouna Ragam”, was that of the story of a woman who was probably forced into arranged marriage and then later, with time, slowly falls in love with her husband.
In general terms, Fate has always treated men(and women) with experiences which make them settle their aspirations on a moderate level. Many young men(and women) have tried to live their lives better than their previous generations and most of them have succeeded in their lifestyle, profession, earning and attitude; but they have miserably failed in the modern way of marriage(Only a few have lived happy marriages after choosing their spouse on their own terms or going against parents).
Coming to the author, this is the first book that I am reading by Chitra but the way she has played with words has captivated me. Her words bring life to the characters and you can almost feel them breathing and alive. Eerie? But yes, that’s the magic. You feel you are part and parcel of the story. Chitra beautifully waves her magic wand of words and there you lie besotted, engrossed and lost. The first page of the book tells me that Chitra was born and brought up in Kolkata but is settled in San Francisco now. Mother of two sons, she teaches creative writing at a local college and has won number of awards for volumes of poetry and the novels, The Mistress of Spice and Sister Of My Heart.
A few of her magical paras that had me spellbound.
"I know she will not tell me any more. Its how we survive, we Indian women whose lives are half light and half darkness, stopping short of revelations that would otherwise crisp away our skins. I'm left alone to figure the truth of the story, to puzzle out why it was given to me"
"You practice them out loud for days in front of the bathroom mirror, the words with which you will tell your mother that you're living with a man. Sometimes they are words of confession and repentance. Sometimes they are angry, defiant. Sometimes they melt into a single, sighing sound, Love"
"Thats when I fix salads, lots of salads, as though the cucumbers and celery and alfafa could protect him from failing grades, drugs, street gangs, AIDS. As though the transparent rings of onions and the long curls of carrots could forge a chain that would hold him to me, close, safe forever."
