PLOT: 4/5 CHARACTERS: 4/5 ENTERTAINMENT: 4/5 OVERALL: 4/5
“The yr is 1947. It’s the better of occasions, it’s the worst of occasions.”
― Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Independence
I don’t learn historic fiction as such and like modern tales, however the plot of this one, together with the truth that this was set throughout the partition of India, was one factor that absolutely drew me in.
The plot
Set throughout the time of the partition of India, in a rural village in Bengal, Independence narrates the tales of three sisters – Priya, Deepa, and Jamini. They’re the daughters of the revered village physician, Nabhkumar.
Deepa, probably the most lovely and eldest, is keen to boost her household’s standing and happiness by marrying into the correct of household.
Jamini, who’s the perfectionist of the household, is keen-eyed and sensible however in some way all the time stays within the shadows. She is a quilt maker who assists her mom on this enterprise which they then use to generate income on the aspect. Jamini is passionate and intense however she typically doesn’t reveal her deepest wishes.
Priya is the youngest of the three and probably the most clever too. She has excessive beliefs and even increased aspirations, desirous to comply with in her father’s footsteps and turn out to be a physician identical to him, besides that the then-male-dominated society frowns upon it.
Their blissful and sheltered household immediately breaks aside when their father Nabhkumar is killed throughout a riot they usually discover themselves on their lonesome, in a scenario so horrible that even their neighbours have turned towards them.
The lives of all three sisters change drastically in a single day and the occasions which have been affecting the nation immediately have an effect on them too.
Priya is set to comply with in her father’s footsteps and pursue her goals, along with her profession taking on most of her effort and time. In the meantime, amidst rising unrest within the nation, Deepa falls in love with Raza who’s Muslim and this alienates her from her mom and sisters.
Jamini is left behind, on their lonesome to carry her household collectively, wanting to maintain it collectively however all of the whereas secretly hoping to seek out love along with her sister’s fiancé.
On the macro entrance, the partition of India is now a identified actuality. It has been formally determined, with India meant as a rustic for Hindus and Pakistan being carved as a separate nation for Muslims.
As if pulled by future in numerous instructions, all three sisters are actually separated and a once-happy household is now disjoint, with every of them main a unique path that continues to be unknown to the others.
Will the three sisters ever reunite?
When one sister finds herself in peril will the others be there to assist her and if sure, then that assistance will come at what price? Will or not it’s too late?
My ideas
First up, Independence is a well-written story. Advised in various POVs of all three sisters, Ms. Chitra’s use of prose in every scene will suck you in deep, and make you think about and really feel vividly whereas transporting you to the very scene of motion.
She is a masterful storyteller, there isn’t any doubt about it, and when you begin studying you gained’t be capable to cease.
Plotwise, I haven’t learn a lot from this specific time interval in historical past, and therefore for me, it was a unique expertise, one which I loved totally and wholeheartedly.
The plot is well-researched, particularly by way of the political unrest taking place on the time within the state of Bengal. It’s not very heavy in historical past and with a very good story, it manages to maintain issues balanced between the fictional narrative and the historic one.
The usage of quick poems in Bengali translated into English conveys the sentiment fairly nicely.
The characterization of every sister, their characters, and their growth is totally performed. They’re all distinctive, and have their distinct personalities, with shades of gray making the studying very dynamic.
As a reader, you root for all three of them a minimum of as soon as all through the e-book if not all the time, as they do make such drastic and harsh choices with none care or concern for others. The despair, anguish, uncertainty, hope, and above all love are so nicely etched that it stays with you for some time after you end studying.
I simply felt that the e-book took its time to set the tempo, first giving an in depth historical past and setting the stage for what’s taking place. The climax, nevertheless, may have been a little bit extra detailed and stretched out additional, as I felt that it was too neatly tied up.
In fairly a couple of locations, I felt that this e-book was focused extra at Western audiences as some conditions from the perspective of an Indian residing throughout that point interval have been a little bit exaggerated.
However, despite this, from a narrative and leisure perspective, Independence is a extremely good e-book and I might undoubtedly advocate it to these curious about studying an Indian story set throughout the time of partition of India.
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