#44 Fasting, Feasting, by Anita Desai




Booker Prize:  Shortlisted 1999

Plot Time and Place: India and USA, present day

Opening sentence: "On the veranda overlooking the garden, the drive and the gate, they sit together on the creaking sofa-swing, suspended from its iron frame, dangling their legs so that the slippers on their feet hang loose."

Plot summary: This book is about three siblings in a typical middle-class Indian family, and how they navigate their overbearing parents, sibling jealousy and rivalry, and societal and parental expectations.

Review:  Really enjoyed this. The writing is really fluid and the dialogues are realistic. I enjoyed the comparison between the two cultures (Indian and American), but especially the main character, Uma. The way she longs to escape, but doesn't dare, the overbearing parents, the jealousy she feels of her sister, the sadness and resignation of the character and the latent misogyny are all interesting themes.

Rating: 4/5


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