Indira Ganesan

I received this novel from Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very well-written (at times poetic) coming of age story about a bright teenaged girl in 1980's India who is struggling with her mother's unsavory reputation, not knowing who her father is, and other family, religious, and cultural conflicts, while also experiencing her first sexual and romantic relationship with an older man.

The mysterious figure of the protagonist's mother moves like a ghost throughout the novel's background. It was definitely my favorite part of the novel, beautifully executed. The character of the mother was excellently drawn and I really felt what the protagonist was feeling toward her mother, the full range conflicting emotions. I wanted more of her and was absorbed when she appeared on the page!

While there was a lot going on in the story (maybe too much), at times I wondered where the plot was going. Whether intentional or not, the novel has that traditional Indian literary trait of being almost a collection of little tales instead of a Western plot progression with single dramatic climax. So, I suppose the plot progression was intended to evoke classical Indian literature, rather than fail to deliver a worthy climax. There is a climax, but it fails to deliver. It lacked punch. With such a fascinating character as the mother, I was expecting some kind of bigger revelation.

A good novel with excellent writing and a few flashes of brilliance. I look forward to checking out more by Ms. Ganesan in the future.

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