Books
by Rohinton Mistry
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A Fine Balance |
The 'balance' is between hope and despair for four characters in Bombay during Indira Gandhi's rule. Their survival in a crazy, arbitrary and cruel world will depend on overcoming built-in prejudices, but will this be enough? Handled with immense delicacy, tenderness and even humour, this is another marvellous Indian book.
(Annabel Bedini - bwl 7 February 2001) |
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A Fine Balance |
A long book, (614 pages) but totally absorbing throughout. It is written in a very easy style but manages to paint a most vivid picture of life in India during the "emergency" period of the 70's. The plot is centred around four characters and all that they have to endure and the way they interact with each other. The ending is devastating! A "must read".
(Veronica Edwards - bwl 60 Spring 2011) |
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Family Matters |
Coomy and Jal live in a large apartment where they unwillingly care for their stepfather who has Parkinson's. They devise a despicable plot forcing Nariman into the cramped quarters which Roxana, his daughter and their half sister, shares with her husband and two sons. Mistry, brilliantly and brutally, outlines the raw everyday realities of this disease, and demonstrates to what lengths people, good or bad, will go in order to 'win' or to cope.
(Polly Sams Plant - bwl 21 November 2003) |
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Family Matters |
Family life turns topsy-turvy when Nariman Vakeel injures himself and his middle-aged stepchildren have a bedridden invalid on their hands. The cast of characters in this seemingly mundane story astounded me. Bombay comes alive: whether in the realm of business, home, politics or religion, Mistry cunningly reveals the little acts of love and betrayal that often go unnoticed, but that make all the difference in life. Never a dull moment, even bedpan scenes are unforgettable!
(Pamela Jaunin - bwl 28 February 2005) |
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