‘Family Matters’ by Rohinton Mistry is the saga of a Mumbai-based Parsi family.
I picked up this book due its unique subject- the world of an ailing septuagenarian patriarch of a Parsi family who is increasingly becoming an unwanted burden on his three children.
Looking after aging family members is something, that almost every family has to deal with. This doesn’t feel like a burden when the caring person absolutely, unconditionally loves the patient, and when he/she has a strong sense of duty and service.
But, in this Parsi family, old grudges and strained relationships make the matters more complicated.
Mistry’s subtle handling of the plot in a light and sarcastic style makes this book worth reading. He catches the pulse of the trials and mindsets of middle-class urban households.
It is not melodramatic; it does not take you on a highly emotional roller-coaster ride, yet it makes you pause and think about life, family and relationships.
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Prof. Nariman Vakeelis a 79 years old retired widower. Parkinson’s disease and a broken ankle leave him completely bedridden. His middle-aged unmarried and unemployed stepchildren Coomy and Jal look after him for some time. Soon they get fed up and he is tossed into the house of his real daughter Roxana, her husband Yezaad and their two sons.
Roxana tries her best to look after him, but his presence creates space and money shortage in her house, and Yezaad starts feeling that things are going out of his control. The tensions affect the two kids as well.
Pappa’s condition keeps on getting worse, Coomy and Jal arrange a fraud to escape from responsibility, and lack of funds pushes Yezaad down the wrong path. Roxana struggles to run the house in times of cash crunch. Her younger son Jehangir creates some problems at school.
An ailing Nariman lies in the living room, helplessly witnessing everything that goes around him, enduring physical pain, finding some happiness in presence of his grandchildren and reliving his unpleasant past in his mind.
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The characters are well drawn, and the intricacies of relationships have been explained delicately. The characters are not all black or white, but in various shades of gray.
So, Coomy is the bitter, forever-complaining, control-freak spinster and Jal is her loyal follower. Nariman is a good-hearted man, but his past mistakes keep haunting him in his old age. While Coomy blames Nariman for ruining her life, Nariman blames his parents for ruining his life by stopping his affair with a non-parsi woman.
Eventually, the sweet and caring Yezaad turns into an oppressive person, and his elder son Muraadstands up against him. Will the legacy of ‘blame it on the parents’ game continue down the generations? The author leaves that question unanswered.
He author compassionately discusses the issue of ‘caring for aging parents’.The family’s attitude towards Nariman makes the readers shudder, pause and think. That which is supposed to be a duty based on love and devotion ultimately comes down to a mere ‘give and take’ deal- devoid of any noble emotions. (“Papa gave you the flat, so you must look after him.”)
Roxana tries to take good care of her father, but the shortage of money puts limit on her attempt. That is one of the worst thing that can happen to a person - being unable to take good care of an aging parent due to shrinking finances. The bitter realities grip the readers' minds.
Another issue that the author flawlessly describes is the financial struggle of the middle class. The Chenoy family represents the good hearted but somewhat confused and frustrated middle class that is getting pressurized by ever-increasing social problems, lay-offs, corruption, and deterioration of values.
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This 500 pages novel is suitable for a lazy afternoon or a long journey. The laid-back narrating style is assorted with gibes and witty comments. The dialogues are smart and canny.
Mistry possesses a gripping style of narration. The curiosity that he creates makes it impossible for the reader to put the book down. The characters' dialogues are in typical Bombay-English, so the conversations give much joy and mirth to the readers.This novel is about a Parsi family but most of the story can happen in any Indian urban middle class household.
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The saga spanning the three generations gives a lot of food for thought. Here's a meaningful thought expressed by Yezaad at his father-in-law's bedside-
''Strange trip, this journey toward death. No way of knowing how much longer for the chief… a year, two years? But Roxana was right, helping your elders through it - that was the only way to learn about it. And the trick was to remember it when your own time came…''
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There is also a flipside. Mistry’s description of the overall degradation of Bombay over the years, and his criticism of the political scene is rational to a certain limit. But, not all of his statements are based on reality. As we read on, his bias and ignorance (probably due to the fact that he has been living in Canada since 1975) can be easily noticed.
Also, this novel is lengthy (500 pages) and hence it gets boring at some stages. Some of the sub-plots and extra details are redundant, and some scenes are overstretched.
Other works by Mistry include 'A fine balance' and 'such a long journey'.
Finally, my verdict is that this novel is worth reading for what its title says- the way it deals with ‘Family Matters’ and the way it stresses that 'Family does matter.'
