Author: Manil Suri
Before I write about the book, I have to disclose how fascinated I am with the fact that Manil Suri is a professor of Mathematics in University of Maryland Baltimore County. For someone whose primary occupation is teaching Mathematics and who probably didn't have the luxury of a very strong early education in English Writing and Literature, he tells really good stories remarkably well. This book is no exception and is set against the backdrop of India's Independence from the British and the partition with Pakistan. The tales are poignant and heartrending and what is most troublesome is that they ring true and there are probably some very real stories out there that are similar if not worse.
The story that Suri spins is the life and times of Meera Sawhney who is born into an upper class Hindu family in New Delhi. Her father is a well to do publisher with very liberal views. The book nicely contrasts this with the life of a poor Hindu boy, Dev Arora into whose family Meera marries. Suri very vividly describes what is fairly common in Indian tradition. After marriage a bride leaves everything behind and starts life afresh with her groom's family. In this case, her husband's family is poor and very orthodox in their Hindu traditions and Meera has to learn new customs and traditions and is literally at their mercy. What amazes me is the stoic nature of Meera and her sister-in-law in accepting their fate and bravely enduring all that is thrown at them.
There are many twists and turns along the way and Suri also describes the political climate at the time which may be lost on someone who is not familiar with this history of India. Overall, the book is a breeze to read and should while away a few hours very pleasantly.
Before I write about the book, I have to disclose how fascinated I am with the fact that Manil Suri is a professor of Mathematics in University of Maryland Baltimore County. For someone whose primary occupation is teaching Mathematics and who probably didn't have the luxury of a very strong early education in English Writing and Literature, he tells really good stories remarkably well. This book is no exception and is set against the backdrop of India's Independence from the British and the partition with Pakistan. The tales are poignant and heartrending and what is most troublesome is that they ring true and there are probably some very real stories out there that are similar if not worse.
The story that Suri spins is the life and times of Meera Sawhney who is born into an upper class Hindu family in New Delhi. Her father is a well to do publisher with very liberal views. The book nicely contrasts this with the life of a poor Hindu boy, Dev Arora into whose family Meera marries. Suri very vividly describes what is fairly common in Indian tradition. After marriage a bride leaves everything behind and starts life afresh with her groom's family. In this case, her husband's family is poor and very orthodox in their Hindu traditions and Meera has to learn new customs and traditions and is literally at their mercy. What amazes me is the stoic nature of Meera and her sister-in-law in accepting their fate and bravely enduring all that is thrown at them.
There are many twists and turns along the way and Suri also describes the political climate at the time which may be lost on someone who is not familiar with this history of India. Overall, the book is a breeze to read and should while away a few hours very pleasantly.
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