Mar 26, 2007 08:54 PM
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(Updated Mar 03, 2008 10:35 PM)
This book is redolent with some bitter truths, how an unsure traditional Bangladeshi girl Nazneen is married to an older man and moves to London and makes her home and her life in this city and culture that's a paradigm shift away from her original roots.
She is brave, she is resourceful and she is a sensitive lady who feels the nuances of the cultural conflict that so plagues the micro world around her. Its a conflict of tradition vs modernity, of ethnic groups, of aimless youngsters and the settled middle age.
The book operates on several levels and what holds it exquisitely together is the tight story telling of the author Monica Ali. Hailed as a sensational writer by the British media, this book is a moving and so identifiable tale of trying to find an identity in a foreign land. There were points when I felt tears in my eyes as I felt Nazneen's loneliness as she finds meaning and action in the mundane, seeks to fill her days with nothing more than cooking and housework and yet feel fulfilled and mentally satisfied. Its a travail every expat/immigrant wife faces in a foreign nameless culture as she finds her roots slowly.
The story is of 2 sisters and a large part of the book is in the form of letters Hasina writes to her elder sister in London. One sister submitted to her destiny and parents' wish, while the other eloped and faces many hardships. Both struggle in their own ways before finally finding some salvation in their mortal life. Above all its a love story between Nazneen and her husband. From a physically described caricaturist person he evolves into a soul mate. There are some colorful characters along the fringes, Bangladeshi ladies who flit in and out of Nazneen's flat and weave parallel intriguing stories.
The writing style is lucid and very realistic, there are fine details that make the entire book almost a visual experience, be it the bickering between the young daughters of the protagonist or the traumatic death of her 6 month old baby who falls sick suddenly or the sudden lust she feels for the youngster and has an affair with.
Its a book fragrant with the sadness, the smiles, the dreams and each thought of the people it seeks to explore. Well crafted, well intentioned, its just waiting for another Mira Nair to turn it into another movie experience that will be applauded for its sensitivity and true portrayals.
