Worth the Man Booker's Prize ... (The Inheritance of Loss - Kiran Desai)

Member Name: mnpwriter

Product:	The Inheritance of Loss - Kiran Desai
Date:	22/10/08 (67 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Honest insight into the lives of ordinary people in a different world altogether.

Disadvantages: May be a bit slow moving for some but the variety of characters more than compensates for it.

The beauty of the book is that it has been able to create a vivid picture under the seemingly abstract title it possesses. Several protagonists are all linked to one another through either relationship and acquaintances or the sheer reality of being apart in a compartmentalised world. The storyline is such that it seals the fate of one and all in a similar way despite the differences in the journeys that they make across different continents and different times.
The main character the story is then 'Judge', a justice of the yesteryears. He is a Gujarati with British education. He is also a man who has nursed a thousand contradictions within him throughout his life.His material achievements to date have ironically contributed to depriving him of his humane touch. His life is a sad depiction of a man striving to achieve heights in a colonised world.
His granddaughter, Sai, a teenager is yet another hybrid of the East and West. Apart from these two characters, the ones which are sure to catch the fancy of many a readers is Gyan, the Nepali tutor for Sai and Mutt - the pet dog of 'Judge'.
While Gyan personifies a poor, young lad who is capable but unsure of his feelings (his attraction towards Sai) and motive in life (his joining the Gurkha movement for independence), Mutt is an amiable dog who evokes affection and belongingness in an otherwise hardened and embittered 'Judge'. Ofcourse, then there is the loyal 'Cook' and several other characters all adding small elements to the story - be it humour or poignancy.
The story is based in Sikkim which is caught in the turmoil of freedom movement of the Gurkhas during those times,
and fear among the local population has been lucidly described in the story. The seriousness of the story content is tinged with humour, making it an interesting read.

Summary: Makes us a part of entirely different world!