Set in a crumbling house in the Himalayas against the 1980s Gorkhaland insurgency, the narrative follows Biju and Sai. Sai is an orphaned teenager living with her embittered grandfather, a retired judge who rejects his Indian heritage in favor of English mannerisms. Parallel to her story is that of Biju, the son of the judge's cook, who works as an undocumented immigrant in New York City’s basement kitchens. Their lives reveal the harsh mechanics of class rigidities, the cruelty of post-colonial identity crises, and the physical degradation that accompanies economic migration.
Readers interested in the intersection of globalization and personal displacement find this useful for its unsentimental look at cultural erasure. The text appeals to those who study how historical colonial structures dictate modern social hierarchies and family dynamics. A reader finishes the book with a clear understanding of how globalization creates a permanent underclass and how the desire for Western assimilation often results in a permanent loss of belonging in one's homeland.
Deep, inward-looking, contemplative and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Mindful Reader. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2005
- Language
- EN
