The Inheritance of Loss - Kiran Desai
My Rating: 5/5.
Winner of The Man Booker Prize 2006. I just finished the book, around 320+ pages, and I am still stunned by what I have read that she wrote in early 2000, not only about 80’s India but the happenings around the world in such a beautiful and realistic way that even getting a Man Booker for this one doesn’t feel enough. Usually, the prize-winning books are very heavy on subject and story too, but this one was so life-like, covering the then India, Britain and even the US of A with the help of four major characters. First and foremost was a retired Chief Justice, as the entire story takes place in his backyard, his Cook’s son, who somehow aspires to get to the USA to make a life for himself and his father. To the Judge’s utter surprise, shock and against his wishes, one day he gets burdened with his own granddaughter, who was dumped in a boarding school earlier and her teenage love story with her Mathematics teacher Gyan, who is a sort of revolutionary for Nepalis back in the day. Location of the story is the incredible town of Kalimpong and the countryside of Piphit, from where Kanchenjunga and Mt Everest are visible. Loved the way she makes one character like the CJ, whose story is from rags to riches (while he gets married to travel to the UK to study, followed by becoming an elite member of ICS) and back to rags once he retires. The way he treats his illiterate wife vs the way his granddaughter turns out was such an amazing contrast, especially when it comes to India (loved it). Unfortunately, the world as she has captured it in the 80s, I am sad to say, nothing much has changed even in the 21st century. Life is still the same way as it is depicted in her fictional story.
The timing of my reading this book couldn’t be better, as so much we have read in the news in the last few days, right across the north eastern border of India (Nepal). Just that she captured the insurgency some 40 years ago, and the effect is still taking place. Her sarcasm about India’s queuing outside an American Embassy to reach the land of dreams is still the same. She goes on to say that even if they dump a load of crap on our heads as the price of entering their country, a majority from our part will gladly take that dump on their head - so damn right. But the best part about the entire book is that she carries her heart in her hands and shows it big time, she even goes on to write so many words and sentences in Hindi and refuses to even translate the in Enlish which I totally loved, let them translate it themselves to understand as so many times we do when they show so many Foreign languages in their literature and leave us confused to find the meaning. And she wasn’t afraid of name-calling when she clearly talks about the likes of Khalistan demand and its outcome, Gorkhaland, Tibet, China taking advantage and all that. She didn’t even spare the leaders and openly talks about religious sentiments and their followers breaking the same at the drop of a hat. I would say she has captured so much in this gem of a book, which is too small in size to have that much depth. And on top of that, she ends up getting a Man Booker for the same, which is no mean feat. This must be one of those few prize-winning books that made a lot of sense to me, especially from our part of the world. Having said that, I would like to read a lot more from her at the earliest.
Do let me know if you have read The Inheritance of Loss and loved it. Also, let me know if you have a personal favourite from Kiran Desai.
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