February 28, 2009

1% Well-Read: The Inheritance of Loss

Kiran Desai's The Inheritance of Loss was another substitute title of the 1% Well-Read Challenge, found in the last week on the shelf of the local library. To be honest, reading Loss took up the majority of the last week, as I found it to be a more dense and contrary read than I had anticipated.

I was surprised, because normally (and be forewarned, this is a broad statement), I do pretty well with literature from the Indian Diaspora. It probably serves me right then, to get bogged down in my own arrogance and assumptions! Loss was a fine read, but it was not what I expected. Much like the mist that featured prominently in the book, story lines materialized and faded away when I least expected, and I never felt that I had a firm grasp on the plot or the motivations of the characters. In the end, I felt unsatisfied and like the main questions posed by the novel were left unanswered. I think this is more my hang-up than a fault in the novel, however. Probably it comes from reading too many mysteries, and a love of traditional plot and narrative devices. Everything Is Illuminated was hell for me, I tell you. My greatest disappointment was not getting to know Sai, the young heroine, better that I did.

Because I am typing one-handed with a sleeping baby, this will be a short review, Suffice it to say, this was another title that I had been meaning to get to, but may not have without the impetus of the 1% Well-Read Challenge. I'm glad I read it, even if it wasn't my favorite book.

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