Jul 23, 2007 01:10 PM
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This is one of those books which I has bought on afterthought….I had left it but just before billing God knows what happened that I grabbed it and now I am happy that I did…
I have been reading a fair share of Contemporary Indian Authors but this is the 1st time I was reading a book this author….and trust me she is very good…the book is do engrossing that you don’t want to put it down.
It’s the story of two distant cousins, Basudha & Anjli referred to as Sudha & Anju in the novel. They stay with their widow Mom’s and a bua. Sudha & Anju have lost their respective fathers who had gone in search of rubies…how they actually died is a mystery for everyone but yes this news send their mothers into premature labor and the girls are born.
The girls are inseparable and they form a bond which no one can understand or match. Sudha is the beautiful one and the Anju the headstrong. Sudha & her mother are the ones who are dependent on Anju’s family. Then there is Singhji their loyal & unpaid chauffeur.
Sudha is concerned with the histories of their families. She ponders the misadventure that claimed the lives of their fathers Sudha forces her bua to tell the real story of the escapade of her father & uncle the truth she learns is the backbone of the story. She is left with a doubt that her father might have been responsible in some way for the death of the earning member of the household.
Throughout the story, there is the sense that the choices these fathers made will always affect the fate of their daughters, and that the daughters' own choices will always bring unforeseen consequences.
Sudha loses her heart to a young man who sits next to her in a movie theater. The innocence with which she falls for him is very touching however a tragedy in the family forces the sisters to agree to arranged marriages, they forget their respective dreams and aspirations.
Here also the choice which Sudha finally makes is bound by the guilt factor.their marriages take the sisters apart while Sudha moves to a small town as a dutiful housewife Anju moves to US of A with dreams that she is going with her dream man who loves her as she loves him. But there is a small incident in the back of her mind that keeps needling her. The fact that her husband might secretly be in love with her Sudha…Sudha who Anju loves more than her life. This doubt does create a distance between them for some time but the bond between the sisters is so strong that everything is eventually forgotten.
From this point onwards the book deals with the respective lives of the two sisters. The choices they are forced to make. I won’t go into the details herein because it will kill the suspense of the book.
The best part about the book is the bond between the sisters…the way the author has depicted their closeness, their dependency and hold on each other is not only touching but to some extent very real…the way both of them are each others support system…they are ready to forego their dreams for each other so that the other can be happy…Sudha leaves India with her baby leaving behind her mother and Ashok the only man she has ever loved in her life …she leaves because she has promised Anju that she will be there with her.
And when you think that the novel is about to end the author gives a blow to you….She discloses the secret and when the passage starts you’ll be dumbfounded….that’s the beauty of this novel…it leaves you dumbstruck for sometime…
Read this book for the beautiful writing…there are some short stories which are the staple diets of these sisters, the stories which used to just story for them but become their source of inspiration in times of needs.The author has a way with words her writing is to some extent lyrical but very real.sometimes we might feel its drem like.but may be thats the reason its called fiction:-)
I have now come to know that there is a sequel to this book and am on a lookout for it….
