Inheritance of Loss, The - Kiran Desai

I observed it to be to a great degree discouraging and needed to battle just to complete it. I needed to comprehend the characters and the general public, yet the book did not by any means help with that. Likewise, the creator appeared to have a genuine interest with washroom works and needed to more than once give points of interest that were absolutely superfluous and hostile. There were some brilliant portrayals of the physical setting, and some short bits of knowledge into the feelings and inspirations of the characters, however general I don't feel that this book in any capacity satisfied the suggestions.

Frankly, I sense that I despised this novel. Oh dear, I understand that I am by and large unduly, particularly one-sided against it for a couple reasons. The essential reason is the means by which commended it is, including winning a grant that I have a unique admiration for: The Man Booker Prize(2006). This is hitherto the most undeserving champ that I have perused.

In any case, this novel has no center; it has some beautiful characters, some touching scenes, some rousing vignettes, a general all around examined measure of information with respect to movement, urbanization, colonization, modernization. On this, Desai does for sure convey. Be that as it may, put together, they are similar to bits of a riddle with a large portion of the container missing.

In a disintegrating, segregated house at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas experience an upset judge who needs just to resign in peace, when his stranded granddaughter, Sai, touches base on his doorstep. The judge's cook watches over her distractedly, for his considerations are frequently on his child, Biju, who is hopscotching starting with one dirty New York eatery then onto the next. Kiran Desai's splendid novel, distributed to gigantic approval, is an account of happiness and misery. Her characters confront various decisions that magnificently light up the results of expansionism as it crashes into the current world.

It was choked to death by a style you could portray as silly wittering, a group of characters all of which are loveably erratic and a plot that Ms Desai accepts will deal with itself as the pointless wittering puthers everywhere throughout the loveable whimsies.

While the written work was dazzling and the subject of the clashing Indian personalities in post-pilgrim India and in the United States was truly fascinating and bolstered with all around created characters. be that as it may.

I just couldn't get into it and thought that it was similar to pulling teeth to traverse.

Inheritance of Loss happens to be a Booker's prize winner. Alas, it seems to be the case of too many cooks spoil the broth.

It has a very confused story line. One had heard about it through word of mouth and also went through some literary reviews about it but it turned out to be a mediocre book.

Is this Kiran Desai all about! She spun a yarn about a social-political  movement then also takes us to USA. She also tried to add in a gujarati story.

Unlike her mother Bharati Desai; Kiran hardly understands the real Bharat or its hinterland.

One seriously objects the way she has depicted Indians.

All good and successful Indians are not like characters of her book!

Kiran Desai keeps on publishing essays; which are far better than her stories.

Hello dear friends. I hope this review will find you happy and enjoying as ever. Afterall, you are not reading “The inheritance of loss”. Are you??

I had purchased this book many years ago and started reading. I couldn’t finish it at that time. I started it again recently, only to finish.

The authoress, her mother & the Bookers. Kiran Desai is the daughter of highly celebrated Indian Author writing in English, Anita Desai, who also happens to be 3 times longlisted for the Bookers. Unlucky, she never won the much coveted title, which Kiran possesses now. But what is Kiran better known as? The daughter of Anita Desai, that is.

Plot.Chapter 1- 32.Page 210.Sai’s parents die in Russia in an accident and she arrives at Kalimpong to live with her grandfather, Justice Jemubhai Patel. The Judge has studied in The UK, is retired and lives at Choo Oyo with a cook and a dog Mutt. The cook’s son Biju, is in New York, hops from one restaurant kitchen to another, lives like dogs and writes to his father essentially. The cook lives to see his son one day before he dies. Gyan, a Nepali is Sai’s Physics tutor and they both fall in love(no guesses). Lola, Noni, Uncle Potty, Father Booty, are living happily in Kalimpong. Everything else moves in flashbacks. The narrative moves around Kalimpong & New York and the story shuttles between Darjeeling, Piphit (Gujrat), Dehradun, Delhi, Bombay, Zanzibar, UK, Russia. Hufff!

Chapter 33-50. Page 314.The story starts counting pace in the last 1/3rd part of the book. The demand for Gorkhaland state has already constituted. The Judge is in Darjeeling to meet his old friend Mr Bose. Sai is arriving at Choo Oyo after being orphan(She had already arrived? Isnt it?). (The story keeps jostling forward & backward, in Kalimpong& New York). Biju slips in the restaurant kitchen and can’t move. Father Booty, Uncle potty, Lola, Noni & Sai are returning from Gymkhana Library in Darjeeling where Gyan is seen at the protest rally. In the backdrop of the Nepali insurgency, all lives start falling apart. The Judge, Mutt, cook, Sai, Lola, Noni, Father Booty, Gyan. It affects Biju right there in New York. What did they inherit? How are they losing? Their existence is trivial. It always has been.

Chapter 51-53. Page 314-324. Is there any justice to the promises which life pertains?

The Judge. The Judge was sent by his proud parents to UK for higher studies. He was married to the richest daughter in town. Little did they know that he will return cold & indifferent. When he will go down the memory lane, he will realize that he did not render justice to his conscience.

This book is a myriad collage of everybody’s thoughts in the backdrop of current happenings.

Star ratings& The Pros. – 1.5/5. As there is no option on MS to select half a star I have given it 2 there.

Narration – The narrative style is “good”. There is nothing stunning & if you are an avid reader, you have read far better & interesting narratives. It’s rich & slow. Initially it made me yawn endlessly and I couldn’t stop myself as everyone around me kept wondering what’s my problem? Later as I got hold, it was a smooth ride.

The transition between a thought in Piphit to the one in UK, from pre Independence to 1980s, from an incident in Russia to one in New York, from Sai to Mutt to Gyan to Biju to Nimi, from what you have inherited and how you are losing it, is easy and smooth.

It’s a great account of how in post colonial India, amid choosing the English as a way of life, amid that never ending quest to win a green card, amid poor always been poor for generations, there are many lives an individual lives in a lifetime.To gain something, we have to lose many things.

Recommendation &The Cons. This book is not recommended for any.

How much is too much? Kiran sparkles in drawing the characters of the cook, Biju & Gyan. They are all awfully poor. Show poor maniacs, bare their poverty, take a wit at the Indian way of life style. Wow!

There are traces of racism where Kiran finds Saeed Saeed’s black skin too “dirty” to get a US visa, Biju’s brown skin too “unfit” for the green card. The way she ridicules the people from Punjab, Gujarat is bewildering. How only the poor or the people from the third World claim to amuse Kiran Desai!! If this cheap stunt is your shot to fame, this Booker is for shame!

The plot evolves in the last 1/3rd part from page 210. Before that many things are happening and the reader is left confused where all this will take you towards the end. Sometimes one full length chapters are assigned to useless accounts like - Sai finding Gyan’s house in Darjeeling, Biju at US embassy, Biju calling the cook from USA, Biju travelling on Gulf Airlines, cook’s belongings been checked by police etc. There was no need of too much blah blah.

The Hindi & Hindi expletives used are in bad taste. They actually leave you raging as they come from nowhere and are intended to wit. They have been calculated to make the book appear "authentic" & desi. No matter they don’t make any sense in there.

Ask yourself! Would you want to read 210 pages (total 324) to get into intricate account of who inherited what and lost what? Gained what? No doubt it’s beautiful, but very complex. And then you start getting the message towards the far end, page 314. Imagine! Last 10 pages!

Important.From our childhood we have been trained to win. I insist we ALL!! We falter, but rise again and with hope move forward and work to achieve our goals, our dreams. If we look back in life we will find many things we have gained and many lost. Why emphasize on loss just too much. I don’t want to die cynic & a pest.

My dear friends! Do yourself a favor. Stay miles away from The inheritance of utterloss.

PS: Salman Rushdie! Get a life! Kiran Desai is Terrible!

This was my review. Thanks for reading. Please rate and comment.

Take care, always.

Anshuman Maini

Desai(Marathi:?????) is an administrative title and surname derived from the Sanskrit words desa'land' and svamin'lord.''Desai' is a surname attributed to Hindus who were feudal lords and revenue collectors.

Morarji Desai

Morarji Desai(29 February 1896 – 10 April 1995) was a notable .

Prachi Desai

Prachi Desai(born 12 September 1988) is an Indian Bollywood .

Anita Desai

Anita Mazumdar Desai(born 24 June 1937) is an Indian novelist .

Meghnad Desai, Baron Desai

Meghnad Jagdishchandra Desai, Baron Desai(born 10 July .

Kiran Desai

Kiran Desai(born 3 September 1971) . Desai is the daughter .

Mahadev Desai

Mahadev Desai(1 January 1892 – 15 August 1942) was an .

Can somebody INHERIT LOSS?

lets see

ya! since the book is named "The Inheritance of Loss". First time when my twin eyeballs caught these words, it gave me a different feel all other; a feel of hallucination. "How can one inherit LOSS", a more intriguing question "Why would one inherit LOSS".and then why would one infact write a book on this topic?

Many questions embedded in this search and I am glad to inform to all readers that the quest to their answers through the book is adventurous, dark, funny, tragic, honest and best part, it narrates you the true world.

.absolutely WORTH it stuff from Kiran Desai.You don't get a Booker so easily!

The story is about of a lot of people who some or the other way are related to each other. The plot is set up near the footsteps of Mt. Kanchenjunga(Kalimpong) where an old judge(Jemubhai Patel) lives along with his teen granddaughter, Sai. Also present in the scene are characters of judge's cook, Lola and Noni(two female oldies), Gyan(the Nepalese tutor), Uncle Potty, Father Booty and a female doggy(Mutt). And far way in US, lies one more character, cook's son Biju(who work as a cook as an illegal immigrant).

Hence, you can easily guess, the book is not about a story, rather it is a story of different stories. The USP of the book lies it the style of writing. The book has a positive connotation at the beginning and through the journey of reading it, you will find sad losing tales, written in an exemplary way. This transformation truly deserves a Booker.

A brief sketch of different tales. Jemubhai, the judge who loses the enjoyment of his life in order to achieve success. Sai, a teenage who discovers a girl in her and falls in love with her tutor, Gyan. Gyan, a Nepalese unemployed youth who teaches Sai for a living and later finds himself as a rebel leaving behind her love. Judge's cook, a lonely man anxious to meet his son, Biju. Biju, who has left his country and his father in search of a good respectable job but that search never fetches him good.and many more.

The best part of the book is the witty humour used.sometimes sarcastic, sometimes slapstick, sometimes comical hardcore stuff. Kiran Desai has managed to narrate the tragic storyline in very easy manner. To soften the scenes, she has used various tools like'Saas-Bahu' sarcasm and usage of Hindi words in the actual manuscript(proud that the author is an INDIAN). Some lines from the book:-

“Tea is too weak, ” they said in the manner of mothers-in-law.

“A mad lady with tin cans hanging from her ears and dressed in tailor scraps, who had been roasting a dead bird on some coals by the side of the road, waved to the procession like a queen”

“O, yeh ladki zara si deewani lagti hai.”Old songs, best songs.

Through her book, she has managed to narrate different aspects of the current world – illegal human trafficking, fundamentalism, growing influence of terrorism, the disparity b/t standards of living of various classes, different perception of different generation, etc. The book also mentions about colonialism+ imperialism and there current global effects. The only irritating thing in the book is the formation of chapters. No character is given one full chapter. Rather each chapter is a parajumble of various characters. This might cause some connection problems of recollecting and understanding the characters:P

Some lines from the book:-

The solitude became a habit, the habit became the man, and it crushed him into a shadow.

“Each day a thousand new ones were born.Entire nations appeared boldly overnight”

“Your father came to my country and took my bread and now I have come to your country to get my bread back.”

“An Indian girl could never be as beautiful as an English one.”

And these two very special which symbolize the title “Inheritance Of Loss”:-

-“the feeling they created was so exquisite, the desire so painful”

-“Looking at a dead insect in the sack of basmati that had come all the way from Dehra Dun, he almost wept in sorrow and marvel at its journey, which was tenderness for his own journey.”

So, Still.Can somebody INHERIT LOSS?

Ask yourself, and you will find YES percentage in your answer for sure.

The inheritance of Loss is one of the novel I will never forget. It is different from most weeping diaspora books longing for the motherland.

First thing that makes a difference is that many characters are non-professional ( Most immigrant writers fails to pick up their life for the material of their works) Many Desi weiters just talk about how unhappy they were when they first moved to America and how they transform themselves. An undocumented guy in this novel didn't change much.

Physical misery and hardship here is real, not just an emotion. Some American friends of mine would say it is too serious for a novel, there's no romantic elements. That's strange that homeland here is a place you want to get away from??? I am the one who have a fantasy to live in the mountain like the judge, it is hard to believe there was a political mess up in the hill, the notion of border is something western the colonizer gave to people.

Colonizer here is just a small group of people, so when it might not right for the immigrant to say your father steal my father's bread so I want to get it back. In Denton where I live, people don't want to compensate anything for people who have been slave...

I am glad my education is very very local....I mean I am not an anglophile...Bri Lit is bittle experience for me!!!That girl, Sai is alienated in her own country, that's strange..Burma and Sri Lanka and many Caribbean Islands changes the educational system right way after decolonization, why India was so fond of the colonizer back then in the 60s...

Before the end of the book, you would have questions " Who is the real trouble-maker?" , "What's human being?", "Is the problem local or global?".

I can't laugh because somehow I feel the same way as the storyteller has depicted. For example, the greencard holders think they're superior than the forks in their home country. Some greencard holders, for me, are just a fake foreigner!!!

So, don't assume there's a racial solidarity here in America, Indian can oppress Indian too!!!

Some people are nothing back in their country so they think it is better to be nothing in a better country, that's why Biju came to America to make a living. What make people "jobless" in many many countries??? And the jobless situation is real????

No, people are very picky for a job, I beg Biju won't accept underpaid job in India.....

In Thailand, we give that kind of Greencard to anybody who passes the healthcare check and pay 6000 bhat ( 200USD) annually. We are honest enough we don't want to do some labor works. Anyway, they still have no status. Greencard holder in America can works for the government, so for some readers, it is still better to live in America as America is still more open than any other countries.

I undertand that back in 1968, most countries in Asia was very very poor. There was no internet and cheap telephone cards. It's sad that there're two kinds of people travelling across the world. The first one is the King, and the other one is the servant.

I don't like the judge, I don't the two aunties. But, in my conclusion, they were made to be that way by their Western education. For Sai again. I am so surprised than she is not rebellious enough. My 2 sisters got out of the Protestant's convent and declared that they are the close friend of the satan and becomes political dissident.

Before I write anything else, let me first warn you that this is not like any other novel that you read . . . it's purely different. Perhaps, that is why it has got such mixed response.

Now, does it deserve Booker : Yes . . . more than any other book. It tells a sweet, cure, and simple story of a girl Sai, who lives in the cold areas of north India. The book deals with many subjects altogether, like love, racialism, immigration, etc . . .

I haven't heard many people say this, but the biggest thing that makes this book different from all other books is : There is not one story that is covered in this book; but, infact, there are about 6 to 8 stories that run paralled to each other and this is what makes this book really interesting!

Every Character has a different story, Uncle Potty, Biju, Biju's father, Sai, Sai' grandfather, Gyan . By the end of this novel, you feel that Kiran has created a whole new world for you . You come to know about a different society that lives in the mountains and you even believe it . . . because of one simple reason : Every character is superb. Kiran has explained a lot about each character, this makes them even more believeable.

Overall : It is wonderful

ForeWar(n)ed: I hate Salman Rushdie! So, what's new, eh? So did Mr Khomeini and a host of his cronies! My hate is different! I hate him purely because he can't say things simply, without sentences which could be used as double bedsheets and words that run longer than a simple sentence! So, when Rushdie says "She is a Terrific Writer", I run! But while I ran, I tripped. And fell! Here's how and why!

Basics: 324 pages and 53 Chapters, Times Roman, Penguin, MRP INR 495. The author is Kiran Desai, whose main fame has been being daughter of famed author-mom, Anita Desai. Her mug adorns the rear (cover), but isn’t much to look at, unless PT Usha is your idea of feminine lure! The cover is blue and bland, unlikely to excite anyone except the author and her mom!

In:The book opens with the usual unheard-of quotes in English by some noble soul, and of course, ‘thanks to my mother with so much love’. That is, if you don’t count the inside front cover trying to piece together the whole story a la Perry Mason, in the end, leaving the reader with a confused look and rethink of intentions. The last bit falls flat – “This majestic novel.. blah blah.. every moment holding out the possibility of hope or betrayal..” Is this M&B or Chase?! “Consequences of colonialism and global conflicts of religion, race and nationalism”.. Aah! Excitement galore!

Eyes turn to page one with doubt. Depression begins to set in. Sai (girl or boy?) reads a NatGeo, occasionally looking out at Kanchenjunga (not a friendly Bengali, but the mountain). The judge sits at a far corner, playing chess with.. himself! Mutt, the dog, snoring gently in her sleep! The cook in the cavernous kitchen, trying to light the damp wood! ..

“Megs, I know why you gifted this book to me! Take it back, I will pay for one whole lunch!” I decide that the least I’ll do is review this bore and yes, Thank Megs! The first 3 pages almost teach you how the cook makes tea. Despite best thoughts on unbiased reading, the mind refuses to spend more time gluing eyes to such boredom. But then, on a dark winter day traversing on rail through Tundra ice, with the other 3 occupants in the coupe sleeping, there isn’t much hope for a reader! Return to the Torture!

So it goes, for the first 20-odd pages. Thankfully, the initial obsession with complex descriptions doesn’t get worse. In fact, with some time, an embryo of a story seems to lurk somewhere at the back! (God! The Desai lingo is getting into me too!)

Simblicity: One needs to give credit where it is due. Names in this book are either Enid Blyton (Uncle Potty, Father Booty) or simbly simble (Biju – rolling stone son of cook and fly on the US wall; Sai – leading lady light and fly on the Indian wall; Gyan – romantic link of lead, also tutor and part GNLF; Noni & Lola – UK worshipping sisters who even import their underwear; Mrs Sen – Yank lover with lass being chased by CNN (yeah!) to “pleeease take a Green Card”; Mutt – spoilt dog whose tail feels at home between the legs; Saeed Saeed - Tanzanian basement-mate of Biju in US, with a way with women and ‘pokey pokey’ interests all around town and finally, Cho Oyu –the house in Darjeeling inhabited by the judge (Jemubhai – owner of the most complex name and personality in the whole book), Sai, Mutt and the cook (in that order) around where one half of the book is based.

Cons first! It drags at times, it tests the patience of the reader, with descriptions sometimes reading like essays of a school boy out to fill the 500 words with not a clue about the subject! At times, the author downright ridicules the reader’s intellect, whether she is trying a Arundhati-esque “book shaped h.ole in the universe” remains a doubt! The script wavers between simple, questioning, comical, sarcastic, cute and gross (a love sequence between the judge and his hated wife could put many gross sites to naked shame!).

Reco: READ IT! Not a prized possession, so try to borrow it! Or, have it gifted!

Doubt: Madness, or is it revenge, behind such a reco, after such an introduction?!

My Case: I started with hate, disgust and such feelings, which is generally reserved for NRI authors spewing about our land, while staying far enough not to be affected by its ‘oh-so-lovely’ crowds and ‘sweet smell of home’ stinks. But, somewhere along the way, the content caught my mind by its ears and slapped it hard. Yes! The Inheritance of Loss is about

… contemporary India in the times of GNLF, Rajiv and factionalism, based part in Darjeeling and Kalimpong, part in US.

…. the rampant unemployment, that leads to exodus of qualified and unqualified manpower away from rural lands, to cities in and outside India.

.… the after effect that the British has left among us in the form of people and habits.

… the longing of the lower downs to reach higher up, and when they are higher up, to get to some place they themselves know not where.

… the mirage that the US of A continues to be, for a large section of the Indian populace.

… the pits to which most folks would go to, in the quest for a Visa to the US of A!

… the snarls of outright and not-so-outright racism that an Indian weaves through in daily life abroad.

… the underbelly of poverty and struggle that line the lives of illegal immigrants in the so-called cities of plenty.

… the solitude of a child without parents, a child in a strict convent boarding school, a child torn apart between curiosity and the need for silence.

… the fragrance of first love and its rush of blood, unmindful of consequence, class and creed.

… the effect that evil deeds continue to have on human minds, long after the deeds are done and the ashes interred.

… the double-lives and hypocrisy that exist in society where you and I live, and in which all of us thrive at some time or the other, if not always.

… noticing the small things in life which go unnoticed in the daily run and grind of modern life.

… an India that we all know, as also an India we all would love not to.

… Indians that we all know and Indians that we would rather wish away.

Inheritance or Loss?: If you are on a long journey, have time on your hands or/ and don’t mind a peep at some true faces of lives – own as well as others’, or if you are fond of reading about cold eyes and warm hearts (or vice versa, depending on the times and people), pick it up. It is not a compulsive page-turner, but it is hard not to complete. Occasional receipts of the author’s doses of sarcasm straight to the reader’s heart are not unnatural! If you are the kind to shy away from reading, or if you lack the time, go watch TZP! If you hate sorrow in any form, then of course, go read Sudipto’s or FE’s reviews!

And if this helped make up your mind or opened a window into this book, please say so! And if you think otherwise, certainly do let the steam out in the comments section!

Thank You Megs, for this book. I would not have bought it, but now would love to keep it!

My Inheritance, Your Loss! But Kiran Desai makes the money, either way! ♠

Kiran Desai’s novel is unique in the braveness of its sheer scope and the simpleness of its telling. Set in Kalimpong in the time of the gurkha uprising in West Bengal, it is peopled with characters whose lives are never so poetic that they can’t be viewed with humour.

There is Sai the orphan teenager who is “convent educated”.

The system might be obsessed with purity, but it excelled in defining the flavour of sin……….this underneath and on top a flat creed : cake was better than laddoos, fork spoon knife better than hands, sipping the blood of Christ and consuming a wafer of his body was more civilized than garlanding a phallic symbol with marigolds. English was better than hindi.(As a convent bound hostelite during my schooling, I feel this is the most succinct and accurate summation of life in a convent boarding.)

She is then left with her grandfather, Jemubhai Patel, a retired judge from the British era, educated in London, and loyal like a well-trained dog to the memory of the Raj that succeeded in leaving him with a distaste for everything Indian and therefore inferior – including, though he does not know this, himself.

The recommended number of Indians in the ICS was 50 percent and the quota wasn’t even close to being filled. Space at the top, space at the top. There certainly was no space at the bottom.

In his once-grand house called Cho Oyu there also lives the cook, a superstitious, illiterate man who has spent his life serving the judge, conscious and accepting of his lowly position in society and only ambitious for his son who has managed to go to America.

? The cook had been disappointed to be working for Jemubhai. A severe comedown he thought  from his father, who had served white men only.

The respect on the policemen’s faces collapsed instantly when they arrived at the cook’s hut buried under a ferocious tangle of nightshade. Here they felt comfortable unleashing their scorn, and they overturned his narrow bed, left his few belongings in a heap. It pained Sai to see how little he had : a few clothes hung over a string, a single razor blade and a sliver of brown soap……..”

Then there is Biju, the cooks son who is working illegally in various restaurants in America.

Biju  had started his second year in America at Pinocchio’s Italian restaurant, stirring vats of spluttering Bolognese, as over a speaker an opera singer sang of love and murder, revenge and heartbreak. “He smells”, said the owner’s wife. “I think Iam allergic to his hair oil.” She had hoped for men from the poorer parts of Europe – Bulgarians perhaps or Czechoslovakians. At least they might have something in common with them like religion and skin colour……..”

Besides these principal characters, there are a host of other personalities from Kalimpong and from among Biju’s acquaintances who are, to use the cliché, brought to life by Desai.Sai"s love interest is Gyan - a Nepali whose youth implies that he must rebel and be a part of the anti-establishment.

“He was the real hero, Tenzing”, Gyan had said. “Hilary couldn’t have made it without sherpas carrying his bags.” Everyone around had agreed. Tenzing was certainly first, or else was made to wait with the bags so that Hilary could take the first step on behalf of that colonial enterprise of sticking your flag on what was not yours.

There are the sisters Lola and Noni - a widow and a spinster – Bengalis, who see themselves as the superior, cultured, and cosmopolitan denizens of a suitably pretty place that they have chosen to spend the rest of their lives in. Then there’s Father Booty and Uncle Potty a Swiss Priest and a khaandaani raeez.

“Where is your bum?” said Uncle Potty to Father Booty as he got into the jeep. He studied his friend severely. A bout of flu had rendered Father Booty so thin his clothes seemed to be hanging on a concavity. “Your  bum has gone!”

The book moves across locations and periods in time while following the lives of its characters and comments on a changing/changed world. Sai’s inheritance of loss from her grandfather, one of the most tragic figures I have come across, is a personal one. Yet it captures the whole world of post-colonial reality. The author takes a peaceful look at life and all its turbulence with an observant eye – and even the deepest sadness is viewed with a gentle humour that elevates the pathos to clear-eyed acceptance without diminishing its profundity. The story seemingly ends on a note of loss for each of its characters, and yet there is hope – only it is not for bettering the present; but of having been left, still, with the things that really matter.

Like Jude Law in The Holiday, I am a weeper. Lump-in-the-throat-moments frequent my reading and film-watching. Yet I never felt that tear-jerking moment with this book. It left me wiser and none the sadder. Like my friend said after reading this book : I never knew such profound sadness could be expressed with such humour. And this astonishing genius is the biggest reason for recommending this book.

Here is a conspiracy theory.Anita Desai(and not her daughter Kiran Desai) is the real author!I thought the book was ok. But did it have all the right ingradients to win the booker prize? You bet it did!

I found the book so carefully written according to the current norms of acceptance. of being a booker prize winner.that I could not supress a doubt.suspicion!

Did Anita Desai(Kiran Desai's mother) actually write this book?Now I am not saying that Kiran is not a good author and/or capable of winning booker on her own etc.I am sure she is!

But I am somewhat familiar with both their styles. Also Anita(the mom) was never awarded the booker although she did reach the shortlist.maybe there were some internal politics etc which only she is aware of that kept her from getting it.she is certainly worthy of a booker!

Perhaps in a sense of revenge/sarcasm/turning tables.etc.she decided to write a book.this one.made to order.to win the booker! She certainly has the past experience to know what works and what doesn't.how to play the game.from her own mistakes before.I guess. She wrote it under Kiran's name to avoid the politics or personal conflicts she may have with some booker-bosses.Maybe she/Kiran will reveal it someday to embarass the booker.

OK maybe this is just a conspiracy theory.but not that improbable.what say?

I’ll scan this Kiran Desai piece from the point of view NOT of a peeved, ready-to-rip-apart critic – but that of an easy going common reader, who is just shoulder deep(and not neck deep) into serious novel-reading. So… get set GO!

Notwithstanding the fact that most of the people would pick up this book out of sheer respect for the darling Man Booker, [b]The Inheritance of Loss[b] is not a total mess(you’ll know what I mean if you’ve read The God of Small Things!). There are threatening, and failing, attempts to make out a story. But well, is it good enough for Rs. 350 at all? Yes, it is(but only Rs. 350, nothing more…heehaw). Its beauty lies in the fact that it radiates a myriad of colors, all distinct and all bright. This one could have easily gone totally haywire, but Ms Desai manages to seam a cord of familiarity throughout the book’s length and breath.

Story, Characters and the Etcetera

Set against a legendry and inscrutable backdrop of North East India, with Mt Kanchenjunga overseeing all like mister big brother, the book explores a crumbling mansion of a retired judge who is suddenly ‘pelted’ with his orphaned granddaughter  Sai. The judge’s cook, an archetype of the old and pitiful, is constantly lost in his son  Biju’sthoughts, who is working in a café in the NYC. And then there are the etceteras: Gyan(Sai’s love interest), Lola and Noni(old-aged sisters living on their own set standards), lovable Uncle Potty and the foreigner Father Booty. Oh, and there is the Paris Hilton-isque kutti called Mutt: rich, dumb, loved and still very important to the plot!

And then there is the problem of insurgency that churns everything up and down. The gorkha gang wants self-government, and this hits hard the judge’s plans of retiring himself into the wilderness of Kalimpong.

The characterisation is so immense you almost end up feeling that three fourths of the book is just characterisation itself. Desai’s detailing is godly, and it lends a punch to the narration. It all boils down to a real sweet, feather- light, GREAT piece of work, though one knows that this book is working on many levels. It touches the heavy duty topics of the third and the first world with equal humor and equal horror.

From pre-independence days to the mid eighties and from NYC to the foothills of the Himalayas – the narration shifts time and space too easily to be taken seriously, never losing its touch and the ‘cord of familiarity’. Strangely enough for a Booker winner, this book attempts at having a start, a middle(with all its masalas) and a climax. But, of course, all this is done in a refreshingly new way. Good good.

Pros and Cons and the Blur

I would be failing the book and its review altogether if I attempt at ‘numbering’ out its pros and cons. It’s not [i]that[i] kind of a book. It is a world in its own, never telling you what sentiment to attach to which character. I think the most striking point is that ALL characters are imparted with a sense of pity. Almost all the pages are simultaneously happy, sad, humorous, light and dark(!).

It’s like a caravan moving towards the ultimate gloom, without anybody discerning or making an issue out of it. The deep seated melancholy within each of the characters is – ahem – disguised in a way to show more of it! Wow!

A sad zeal runs throughout the story, and through its unending parallel stories. It is in a way more meticulous than most of the books you’d expect to win a Booker. Boredom hardly creeps in, and the wit never dies. Plus, Ms Desai presents an engaging account of India in different times.

It may not become the best book you’ve ever read, simply because it isn’t written with that intention. I just can’t say – go get your thrills – because there aren’t any. The Sai-Gyan romance deliberately lacks the popcorn crisp. In short, it’s never going to be the typical novel.

Anyways, go for it if you’re in for something new. It won’t fail you, trust me.

This book should be read in between lighter books. It leaves one feeling depressed esp in the second half. The ending is tragic for all the major characters. One does not feel that karma gets the people their just reward. In other words, at the end of the book you'd have a heavy heart and try to analyse why things happened and what is the purpose of this life as we live it!

The major pluses in this book are

1. nice descriptive prose, the author's ability to describe the small details of the hills as only a typical mountain lover can relate to. The parts about the growth of mushrooms, the patch of broccoli, the sudden hill lightening and showers, the fungus growing on various house items during monsoons are details savoured by those who have had to go through this tough part of living in the north east.

2. This book gave a lot of insight about the Gurkha movements. Though vaguely familiar with Geishing, I never knew the extent of the GNLF problem and how it affected the north east , which always reacts to events with more volatility and less of national news coverage.

3. The portrayal of the Anglo Indians is very realistic and upper-middle-classic .

4. The life of illegal immigrants in U.S.A. is very well captured and stirs the soul in a tragic-comic way. The details of treatment at the American embassy in the 1980s are very realistic. The tendency of 'I am in, you stay out' of the illegal immigrants from all parts of the world is well brought out.

The dilemma of an Indian father at his westernised daughter's attitude 'she said to me -no one will wipe your arse for free in this country , dad' while he preferred her to say it with Indian dignity' pappaji no one will wipe your bottoms'.

5.  The narrative is free flowing, skipping between present and past times to keep the reader's interest alive. Naturally it is her style of this writing which has got her the awards.

The parts which I found painful were the treatment of the characters by the author. The main two characters are the judge and his grand -daughter. Both share one thing in common-they have no one in the world apart from each other, in the case of the judge due to his own fault and , in the case of the girl, circumstances force her. What I fail to understand is how could such a learned man be so foolish and impervious to the inter-personal relationship rules of life.

I can well imagine that he had a flawed childhood with a father who had the wrong values. He went through his life in England living as an object of hatred (racial). He had no interests in life except studies. Still ultimately he does get through the I.C.S. , the toughest exam of the times for which he has studied history, literature and the general knowledge. Even if that did not give him the mental security, the subsequent years in power, mingling with the elite powers of the country, ruling the masses--all this would have surely instilled enough awareness in him that social mores were to be observed. How could such a man beat his wife day after day and desert her . What  happened to her powerful father and uncles with their access to the Britishers in power? How could he abandon his father, his family, his only daughter and still continue in a service where postings were decided on factors, including stability of family life?

A man who feels so attached to his dog, the mutt must have a heart in its right place.

A very tragic character---Jemubhai, the judge.

His grand-daughter has all the bad luck in the world, inheriting loss of dear ones, the loss of love through no fault of hers except that of birth. She has no negative habits, no flaws yet has to suffer in life.

The cook is a poor man destined to be a loser. His son succeeds by way of immigrating to America but then loses it all in a succession of bad breaks, including being looted of even his clothes at the end of the book.

The priest loses his belongings and is deported.

So much of losses through out the book . The only gainer has been the author with her awards.

Still I would recommend reading it as a literary work. Just remain fore-warned and try and finish the book during day time else you may have to spend a sleepless night.

The inheritance of Kiran Desai got recognition of the world on October 10th, the birth centenary of R. K. Narayan whose preponderant influence is quite obvious in her novels. Fortuitously, her mother, Anita Desai, whose writerly legacy has made her a name, was too far to be informed of the prize- into a Tibetan settlement, the same implacable landscape that forms the backdrop of Kiran’s The Inheritance of Loss Almost a homage to an important and majestic character in the story. The towering and uncompromising peaks of Himalayan splendour stand like the great Gods watching the story of petty human beings unfold in the spirit of a Grecian tragedy.It is a narrative of the harsh colonial truth and the consequent dysfunctional and troubled present lurching towards an uncertain future.

The shadow of a man, Jemubhai Patel, is a colonial relic having no claim to the postcolonial world, and hiding behind the insipid moves of fake chess-games. His hideous past reveals an exotic animal that is not sociable enough to form humane bonds with anybody. When his grand-daughter, Sai, lands at his ‘castle’, she finds relief in the cook’s chattering and febrile excitement in her adolescent Nepalese tutor, Gyan, whose adolescent idealism suddenly begins to crave for the mantle of a martyr under the momentary but powerful influence of the separatist forces.

Thus their fragile love is sacrificed: not in dignity of the sacrificial rituals, but paradoxically, in the mean cock-fight bickering even as the snow-muffled peaks of lofty splendour witness the rise of insurgent struggle to a crescendo, the tremors of which bring a disillusioned immigrant, Biju, back to the folds of these angry, coruscating mountains. Amid this landscape of timeless antiquity unfolds the theme of eternal concern: the humble and humiliating poverty and the consequent migration of the deprived and unprivileged.

What do I feel? fulfilled.....Why fulfilled, you may ask (what filled me to the full *;-))? Having read a novel after a long long long time ( *did I say long?), the last one being Da Vinci Code which was read after suffering the torturous sight of Mr. Husband reading it day in and day out , shifting from one corner of the house to another, clutching steadfastedly a book he borrowed(stole) from me before my having

triumphed it.........Now back to fulfilling part, which, mind you refers only to the fulfillment of the desire of having read something.Not to to be confused with the contentment from reading something brilliant.

The book is set in contemporary times in oscitant Kalimpongnear Kanchenjunga, where Saian orphan girl lives with her maternal grandfather, a retired judge and in

company of Lola, Noni, Father Booty and Uncle Potty who pride in keeping a veryBritish lifestyle in the remote place where Gorkha discontent is growing.

The eccentric judge, cut off from the present , flits from one memory to another; of his days spent in Britain where he appeared for the ICS immensely conscious of his brown identity and his hypocritically condescending, livid attitude towards his father and wife for their Indian uncouthness. He is little company to young Sai, who has just returned from the convent and makes cobwebs of the small world of

experiences she is exposed to and, her books. There is also the cook; selling

Cchang on the sly and living to see his son, the cynosure of his eyes, return a successful man from the U.S., where he waits tables.

The stories of the past and the present are well woven in a place that is so still that even the present seems to be of an old forgotten era and where, there is no glimpse of the future. The story has rhythm too, even then, at best , it can be judged as readable and may have something new to offer to someone who has not read The God of Small Things(Arundhati Roy).* The

similarities between the books ( apart from the Booker) are  one too many- the awkward descriptions that form the beginning to the vague ending, the slowness, the most murderous and unbeautiful account of romance and the needless use of Hindi expletives which( may be) add to the exotic

flavour of the story ( and thus to its prizewinning chances), but leave a bad taste in the mouth to the reader. Wonder if that which is said about the Nobels given to specific predecided continents is true in case of Bookers too, because one is generally used to more intelligent pieces of writing, and this is in comparison, mediocre.

From the moment I began the first chapter until I reached the final page, this book never ceased to fascinate me. The book itself is full of contradictions, both to itself and what is normally characterized as quality literature. The setting, to begin with, is exotic, the time period less so, given the recent return of violence in that region and among the Nepalise people, and the characters most familiar to anyone. The novel is constructed around fairly usual types of characters- the alcoholics, the hopeful youths, the wizened, aging adults, even the light, friendly characters. The difference is in Desai’s exploration of each character type, and no fluffy skimming over of any individual is permitted. The choppier, more scattered style can be a bit too ’’new age’’ for some of us more used to the classical prose style, but the change is refreshing and adds to the depth of characterization.

Not to give away the entire novel or anything, but the most unique quality of this novel is not realized until the very end. The novel ends with everyone being worse off than they were in the beginning. Ideals have been lost irrevocably, youth has beeen compromised, and all that was gained has been lost, coupled with the additional loss of dignity. By the ending, I promise that the dismal nature of the title will strike a chord and complete the meaning of the book. Depressing, yes, but also a frighteningly compelling idea.

The only further recommendation I have to anyone even remotely interested in picking this novel up: please, read it in a place devoid of distraction and be willing to dedicate some attention to it. I advise this merely because a) the prose is stock-piled with those ’’eternal truths’’ and pieces of worthy wisdom for all living beings and b) once you get into it, there is no way you will willingly put it down. I finished it in a matter of days, while keeping a life, and was annoyed at any distraction that made me have to re-read something.

I do not understand the criteria for qualifying for Booker now do I know the politics behind the award ( all awards have politics behind them, at the risk of sounding like a sceptic ), however I have a different take on Inheritance of Loss compared to the other reviews posted so far.

Plot : The plot doesnt start emerging till the 150th page of the book. Till then we are reading about Kalimpong, the judge, Sai, Lola, Mutt etc etc and trying to figure out what role each will have to play by the end of the story. The plot starts somewhere in the second half of the book. If you are waiting for something to happen, you have to hold your patience till the latter part. In that sense, I found it to be a tad bit too slow for my liking.

Characterisation : I like the characterisation of the cook the most in this book. Its a live wire character with myriad shades. Very nicely etched. Sai comes across as a bit stony and somewhat not complete. She seemed to have minimal impact from the desertion of her parents and also seems to be somewhat blind to her grand father's persoanlity flaws. I would expect a 15 year old with raging hormones to absolutely hate the man her grandfather is portrayed to be. In that sense, she seems to be too-good-to-be-true. Gyan is good and his inner turmoils are well portrayed.

Relevance : I want to emphasise on relevance of the plot. They setting and era of the story were not that relevant to me...it is of course the book writer's prerogative to choose her themes and experiences. But, as reading is a very personal occupation for most , I would like to say that the plot/theme is not very contemporary and hence those who like to read non-poetic plots, may find this a trifle boring.

Language : Flowery, good.

Enjoyment : The enjoyment factor is lacking. Inspite of the language, characterisation I am forced to hang on to the narrative in hope of something better ahead , which does come up sometime later.

Overall, its an average plot which is written well.

But Booker ??????!!! Why ?

All day the colors had been those of dusk, mist moving like a water creature across the great flanks of mountains possessed of ocean shadows and depth.Breifly visible above the vapor Kanchenjunga was a far peak whittled out of ice......

The stage is set.

Place;Kalimpong at the foothills of himalyas

Time; Mid 1980s in the background of Nepalese insurgency.

Cast: (Scene1Kalimpong)a Cambridge educated retired judge living with his orphaned daughter,Sai and a cook

'The inheritance' is not a single story.

It is the story of Jemubhai the retied judge with his English biscuits and his hunting rifles.He lives in a crumbling old house,at the foothills of mount Kanchenjunga.

It is the story of saia teenaged girl, an orphan who reaches her maternal uncle's house in the foothills of himalayas.She changes hands from the disciplined nuns to her uncle judge who draws the lakshman rekha within which she should move.The old cook is her only friend.

It is also the story of the old cook whose thoughts always revolve around his son biju in Newyork.He knows nothing of his son's struggle for existence in the land of great opportunities!

The story also involves Gyan the Nepalese tutor who was helping sai with her maths.She soon finds that the young tutor is more interesting than addition,subtraction and factorisation.Slowly their romance blossoms.Soon the harsh realities of life intervenes in their romance.Gyan soon learns a theorem from life.That parallel lines never meet! He finds his true romance in the movement for libration of his homeland, and joins the insurgence.

It is the story of Biju an illegal migrant in Newyork who hops from one dirty kitchen to other in his struggle for survival. and finally he returns home only to find a the vast change that has taken place in the serene hills.

it is the story of exiles at home and exiles abroad.

It is a story of the effects of insurgency on the normal life of aam admi.

The success of an author lies in her ability to connect to contmperory issues,to write about relevent themes.Kiran explores issues like globalisation,insurgency,economic disparity,clash of cultures, clash of generations.and after effects of colonialisation.........These are issues most relevant to us today.

'Inheritance'is a novel that spans continents,generations,religions ,ethinicities and cultures.Kiran transports you from Kalimpong to Newyork with admirable ease.LIke a gifted photographer she has frozen each of the characters into frames and put before you.KIran is not an author who tells a story by watching it from a distance.Throughout the narrative you can feel her presence, her compassion for the characters.

At the age of 35 Kiran has acquired a style quite distinct from other writers of Indian English.More than that she has displayed a rare understanding of human nature ,social problems as well as international issues.

The book is briskly paced, the narrative is easy to follow,and the prose is impressive ,.full of imagery. WORTH READING

P.S.in one of her novels 'Clear light of the day' one of Anita Desai"s characters say

"no one comprehends better than children do , no one feels the atmosphere more keenly and catches the nuances.,all the insinuations in the air,or note those details that escape elders ......................'

Anita desai should be happy.Her child has inherited her rich legacy.I cannot think of a better gift a daughter can give to her mother.(You may recall that Anita was shortlisted for the Booker thrice but missed it.)She must be the happiest mother on earth!

As Salman Rushdie says

'Welcome proof that india's encounter with the English laguage continues to give birth to new children,endowed with lavish gifts.'

Kiran Desai won the Man Booker Prize 2006 for her book called "The Inheritance of Loss". Kiran Desai is only 35 years old and is the youngest winner of the prize.

I have a paper back copy that was published by Penguin Books in January 2000. It has 256 pages.

The ISBN # 9780143055686

Time Line: India during Colonel Times.

The Plot:

The story begins in the Himalaya Mountains at the bottom of Mount Kanchenjunga.

There is only a few houses. In one there is a Judge is living with his granddaughter and a cook. The granddaughter is an orphan and the cook takes care of her.

The neighbors aren't from England. Jerubhai plays with his guns and likes to have tea with English biscuits.

The Judge's son Biju is working, (illegally), in New York City in an number of restaurant. The Judge want to live a peaceful life but his mind won't let him because he is worried about Biju.

Sai is his granddaughter and has been looking the many ways of romance and the incarnations of them. She is only 16 and lives in a world that isn't real.

She falls in love with Gyan, (her Nepali's tutor and the cook's son). Her life has become a mess!

The poor young men aren't happy with the Colonial rule and the first target is Jerubhai.

You'll have to read the book to find out what happens next....

What I Thought:

Kiran Desai is able to between first and third worlds that show the pain of exile and a wish for a better life. She is very insightful into the problems of the characters.

This means that one person's wealth is another's poverty. Desia has more wisdom than most people of her age.

It is funny and moving family story that is a sweetest and a delightful novel. If you haven't read it go buy it, please.

Thanks for reading my review.

©LL2006