For what I consider to be a relatively laid-back storyline, this surprisingly had a cruel ending.
I hope I didn't spoil it much there. Lol. I just got my heart broken with a John Boyne novel so I figured I'd want something more chill and less emotional book to transition. I like to switch up the tone of the books I read just for my own sanity.
This has been sitting in my to-read list for a while now so I thought I'd give this a shot.
The Story
"I wrote The Candid Life of Meena Dave not only to give an example of Indian American history but also to touch on what it could mean to build community in isolation."
-Namrata Patel
Meena Dave is a photojournalist who just surprisingly inherited an apartment in Boston from a woman she never met - side note, how do these people get this luck btw. Anyway, Meena came to Boston and found that the building's residents are of Indian descents and treated each other like family. Meena, despite being Indian herself, did not necessarily identify as one since she was adopted and was raised in a totally different way. She stuck out like a sore thumb.
Despite her initial resistance to the aunties in the building and to her origins, Meena grew more curious with the notes that the woman who previously owned the apartment left. She eventually noticed that the notes could lead to her identity and realise what it takes to belong to a community.
“You chose,” Meena said. “I did not. Still, we both lost something.
What I think...
Meena's character is one acquired taste. I was starting to get annoyed by how off and repulsive she was and I had to stop and realise that she's also been through some tough days. If you read this, I would suggest you take your time to get to know Meena, see through her and what she's been through in order to understand why she was the way she was. It is a slow build up but I think it's worth it still. I wish the backstory came earlier but it is what it is. I was also a little slow in reading especially the first quarter of the book because for some reason, I didn't catch up or get along to the writing style.
I don't have any personal experience with how Indian households are so forgive me for my ignorance. However, I did see some similarities in my own Filipino culture in terms of having very involved neighbors who seem to come and go as they please, always having a community and (though not always) subconsciously subjecting oneself to a standard that please other people. The book also gives a great peek into Indian traditions in America as well as their truly amazing cuisine.
As I mentioned, I started reading this book not really expecting anything intense which was exactly what I was looking for and a large part of the book was really that. However, towards the end, as Meena really started to unravel her identity the tone had a slight shift. It suddenly had a little bit of drama and intensity until it leaves you to a rather cruel ending. I know Meena sorts of find her peace, but I wouldn't personally call it that happy of an ending.
☆☆☆ | Young Adults and Adults | Newbie-Friendly: Not Really | Fast Read: Not Really
Read more about the ratings here
No comments
Post a Comment