The Inheritance of Loss
by Kiran Desai
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Book Summary Information
Author: Kiran DesaiEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-08-29
ISBN: 0802142818
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Grove Press
Book Reviews of The Inheritance of Loss
Book Review: Stunning, Powerful, and Beautiful
Summary: 5 Stars
"Inheritance of Loss," by Kiran Desai, is less of a novel with a single coherent plot than it is a fascinating accumulation of interlocking stories with common themes. Together, they passionately illuminate the author's contemporary worldview. Overall, the novel is a stunning, powerful, and beautiful work of fiction--well deserving of its 2006 Booker Prize. What stands out most is the high quality of its prose, but the many major and minor characters are also brilliantly imagined and created--their stories, plights, and lives will not only remain on your mind for a long time after the close of the novel, but they may also significantly influence the way you view many complex contemporary world issues...of course, this is exactly what the author wants.
At its core, this is a political book--a novel that rails against contemporary worldwide issues of economic, racial, class, and social injustice. The central thematic focus concerns the immense personal pain and emotional debt that comes as a result of leaving one country and culture with dreams of making a better life in another country. The book makes it clear that these global migrations are achieved at enormous personal loss--this is the inheritance of loss of the book's title. As you read this novel and its litany of stories and vignettes demonstrating widespread social injustice, keep asking yourself: Who pays the price? Ultimately, of course, we all do.
The stories take place predominantly in two locations: the Himalayan village of Kalimpong in India's northeastern corner, and New York City. Although the culture of these two worlds seem light years apart, the author makes is clear that the same issues of economic, racial, class, and social injustice are mirrored in each. The problems she highlights are inherently human, not cultural. To deal with them, we must all be better humans.
This is a book about immigrants (legal or illegal), class discrimination, prejudice, dislocation, isolation, globalization, human decency, and human equality. The novel is full of satire, irony, and contrast. In the end, the book leaves the reader with the impression that the author attempted more themes and stories than she could adequately fit into one novel. According to an interview with the author in "The Hindu" (Chennai, India, Oct 12, 2006, page 1), the originally manuscript for the book was more than 1,500 pages. Desai admits she had an extremely difficult time paring it down to its existing size. Obviously, much had to be eliminated.
Many reviewers have called this a wise novel, but I hesitate. I find the author's worldview on these issues a bit too one-sidedly negative for my tastes. With the exception of one minor character, Saeed, the Zanzibar native living as an illegal immigrant in New York City, there are no other immigrant stories with a positive tone and outcome. Obviously, Saeed succeeds primarily because of his ebullient and optimistic personality. The truth is that most immigrants leave home never considering how much they will change and must change in order to adapt to their new environments. Yes, many are permanently scarred by the process and challenge. Yet there are others who, despite the loss of innocence, succeed admirably while at the same time learning to accept and embrace their new identities. Often these successful immigrants become a progressive blend of two cultures. Like Saeed, they approach life with cheer despite their trials.
Despite these small grips, I enjoyed the book immensely, and recommend it highly.
Summary of The Inheritance of Loss
In a crumbling, isolated house at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas lives an embittered judge who wants only to retire in peace, when his orphaned granddaughter, Sai, arrives on his doorstep. The judge?s cook watches over her distractedly, for his thoughts are often on his son, Biju, who is hopscotching from one gritty New York restaurant to another. Kiran Desai?s brilliant novel, published to huge acclaim, is a story of joy and despair. Her characters face numerous choices that majestically illuminate the consequences of colonialism as it collides with the modern world.
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