1995 ∙ Rohinton Mistry ∙ 603 pgs
How can so much tragedy visit one group of people? It seems almost impossible, and at times it honestly gets repetitive and tiring. The book makes living in India sound about as fun as living in the middle of a live mine field. Terror, disease, violence and homelessness lie around every corner. Taking place mostly during the emergency in 1975, during which all personal rights were suspended, and many were detained and sterilized against their will, the country was rampant with corruption, and conditions for everyone were pretty awful. While I have very little knowledge about recent Indian history, I was surprised this kind of lawlessness and depraved indifference to human life could happen this century, let alone during my lifetime. Beyond the history and caste system lesson, I couldn’t help but wonder where everything was going. The final message (so far as I can make out): be happy with what you have. Okay. So, you may have no home, no money, no testicles or legs, and everyone you know may have been killed, but, hey, at least you have your heartbeat and some cerebral functioning. I guess, it’s a fine balance, eh?
