The Inheritance of Loss
LC Class PS3554.E82 I54 | | |
Preceded by | Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard |
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The Inheritance of Loss is the second
It was written over a period of seven years after her first book, the critically acclaimed Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard.[2][3] Among its main themes are migration, living between two worlds, and between past and present.
Summary
The story centres around the lives of Biju and Sai. Biju is an Indian living in the
Biju, the other character, is an illegal alien residing in the United States, trying to make a new life for himself, and contrasts this with the experiences of Sai, an anglicised Indian girl living with her grandfather in India. The novel shows both internal conflicts within India and tensions between the past and present. Desai writes of rejection and yet awe of the English way of life, opportunities to gain money in America, and the squalor of living in India. Through critical portrayal of Sai's grandfather, the retired judge, Desai comments upon leading Indians who were considered too anglicised and forgetful of traditional ways of Indian life.
The retired judge Jemubhai Patel is a man disgusted by Indian ways and customs -- so much so, that he eats chapatis (a moist South Asian flatbread) with knife and fork. Patel disdains other Indians, including the father with whom he breaks ties and the wife whom he abandons at his father's home after torturing her. Yet Patel never is fully accepted by the British, despite his education and adopted mannerisms.
The major theme running throughout The Inheritance of Loss is one closely related to
The
Reception
In 2020, Emma Lee-Potter of The Independent listed it as one of the 12 best Indian novels.[8]
References
- ^ "All Past National Book Critics Circle Award Winners and Finalists – Page 2" (Press release). Bookcritics.org. Archived from the original on 25 February 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
- ^ "The Inheritance of Loss: Kiran Desai" (Press release). Booker Prize Foundation. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
- ^ "Kiran Desai interview". Jabberwock (blog). 20 January 2006. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
- ISBN 978-1-55584-591-9.
- ^ Walter, Natasha (26 August 2006). "Mutt and the maths tutor". The Guardian.
- ^ Hughes, Sarah (3 September 2006). "Uncle Potty and other guides to the truth". The Observer.
- ^ "Wounded by the West". New York Times. 12 February 2006.
- ^ Lee-Potter, Emma (5 August 2020). "12 best Indian novels that everyone needs to read". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2020.