http://sandyi.blogspot.com/2009/06/bo...I've always felt the best time to read is when one is on vacation, preferably while traveling. And a long train journey is particularly conducive and appealing in this regard. Also, a great deal gets read, unlike other times when there are too many distractions. Much of course depends on the choice of the books. Heavy duty reading is out of question, because I'm certain I want to have a good time without stressing myself. So the idea is to take along books that are simple to read, but not simplistic. Manju Kapur's Home - which a friend recommended and gave to read - was my clear choice recently on a trip. I knew it would be an easy read, but hopefully with some literary merit also.Thankfully, the book made the cut for me, even if the story is all too familiar --- portraying the kind of exaggerated reality of North Indian joint families that some of Ekta Kapoor's serials peddle (I'm surprised neither she or Karan Johar haven't bought the copyright to the book still). It's a quick read and pretty engaging for most part - how many books can claim to be that!Here, in this Karol Bagh family in Delhi, every kind of tradition - no matter how outdated--- is followed. Honour comes above all individual aspirations and a woman's status in the family is solely judged from her ability to give heirs. Frankly, at a time when joint families are fast fading, Kapur's choice of subject is a bit suspect. Sure, the book looks at at least two generations of people but still to look at it as a microcosm of what Indian homes represent, would be a mistake. The long explanations of Karwa Chaut, the mythological tale of Savitri and how she brings back her husband Satyavan's life back from Yama and so on - all weaved within the story - gave me the uneasy feeling that Kapur is trying to cater to a foreign gaze or expatriates who staunchly preserve the idea of India being untouched by time and still rooted in age-old traditions.Yet, for all its familiarity and a certain feeling of datedness, Home manages to sustain as a narrative purely because of the vivid characters that are introduced and enumerated in such colourful details. Also, being a woman, Kapur can penetrate better into the petty jealousies, insecurities and compulsions that play a major part in the joint-family set up. The author is acutely conscious of the complex mental make-up of her women characters and reveals the many unsaid emotions that they experience. Compared to the women, Kapur is less preoccupied with the men, so they largely remain in the sidelines.Even if joint family as a concept is fading, Home's appeal is retained somewhat because all said and done, many of the values and conventions that it upheld haven't entirely disappeared. Also, it's an interesting character study or sorts, in a setting where human proclivity is understood better than anywhere else.The story kick starts well with Kapur tracking the fortunes of two sister - Sona and Rupa. The former gets married into a well off trader family, Banwarilals, while Rupa marries modestly to a junior government officer. Each one believes the other is luckier, with Sona especially whining about the step-motherly treatment she receives for being childless. The first 100 pages or more are free flowing, with standard descriptions of how newly married life would be in a joint family. The entire premise of this family life (as well as the book) is based on a woman's ability to bear a child, preferably male - so every daughter-in-law who comes into the Banwari family finds her status judges according to this one standard alone. This obviously becomes repetitive after a point, and it's a surprise how the novel still manages to keep you glued. There are a some bright spots for sure. Kapur cleverly overturns situations just when you think you know what's going to happen next. And it works because the rest of the novel doesn't shy away from stereotyping. So Sona's childless state is coincided with the death of Sushila- the daughter of the house and she leaves behind Vicky, her only son. One would imagine Sona to be delighted but she shows disdain towards the boy and finds it painful to accept him when he is thrust upon her by the elders. Here, one can't fully comprehend her emotions and you guess Vicky would turn out to be the dark horse of the family. But none of that happens. And in fact, Sona's fears of the boy's nature are justified. This is one of the plus points of the novel. It overturns a lot of things both the characters (and the readers) take for granted.The best and most poignant part of the novel is the character of Nisha - the prized daughter of the family --- who is the only one to put up a mild battle against the regressive nature of her family. For most part, Kapur presents the joint family system as both the preserver and destroyer or an individual but in Nisha's case, the irony is heightened, as her life takes an unexpected turn for the worse. Fate delivers a cruel blow to her, first when her love is thwarted by the family, as the boy is low cast and poor and second, when she suffers from a peculiar skin deceise that robs her of her initial good looks. Meanwhile, from being the centre of the family's attention, Nisha is suddenly relegated to a inferior position because other younger daughter-in-laws come into the family. Nisha is unmarried, not as pretty as earlier and this is the time when the joint family set-up especually seems to crush her spirits. The ending again beautifully brings out how life can look up again - with a slight readjustment of one's expectations after suffering a blow. Nisha finds her happiness when she least expects it. But this is a conditioned 'happiness' and she succeeds in the terms she has been taught to believe in. The system wins.Manju Kapoor's attempt throughout the novel is only to 'show' but never 'tell', so the whole book is pretty much descriptive of what goes on, rather than any incisive, ironical commentary. The authorial voice is hardly there, so you are left to gather what you want from it. This is somewhat disconcerting - because it makes the narrative dispassionate and detached even at places which could do with some sharp satire. This makes the tone of the book very flat and it's only in the second half -with Nisha's character - that the irony gathers some steam.Yet, personally, I give the book a thumbs up - primarily because it holds your attention and you are keen to follow the fortunes of all the characters - vividly described. Also, I rather liked the simple language Kapur uses, with the understanding that her characters are actually speaking in Hindi. No frills, nothing. It's basic English, but adds a nice texture to the setting. Finally, I'd say it's a good masala read, with a few sparkling episodes.
Home is the story of a typical middle-class joint family of cloth merchants living in Delhi.It has all the ingredients of an Ekta Kapoor serial- horrible mother-in-laws, sulking daughter-in-laws, selfish children, pompous relatives ,obscenely lavish weddings and the works. None of the characters were really likeable.And that is not because Manju Kapur paints everyone in shades of Grey;I've liked grey characters before.Home is filled with really boring, vile grey characters that really grate on one's nerves and one doesn't really bother if these characters have a valid reason for being mean after a point.The most irritating among the lot being Sona. The story might be representative of the middle class , but realism alone is not enough to make one like a book. The writing was very ordinary and the narration extremely jumpy.To be fair to the book,the last hundred-odd pages were infinitely more engaging the the first two hundred. Maybe this had to do with the fact that the story more or less revolved around Nisha's life by this time. I've read Immigrants and A married woman before and found them a lot better than this one. Now I doubt if i'll ever pick up her other book Difficult daughters. A thoroughly disappointing read!
What do You think about Home (2006)?
Home tells the story of three generations of a cloth merchant family, once living in Lahore and now operating an expanding business in Delhi having moved there after Partition. Kapur has a knack for creating vivid character description, but unfortunately few of the cast of characters were people I ended up feeling much empathy for. The plot also meanders a lot, and while the way some characters drop away and plot threads are abandoned may be realistic—no one's life has a tidy narrative arc—it can be frustrating for the reader. And that ending... I couldn't decide if it was trite or darkly subversive, but either way it felt abrupt and anticlimactic. [Those of you with triggers may want to note that this book contains extended graphic descriptions of child sexual abuse.]
—Siria
The story evolves around the traditional Indian family of shopkeepers. This book is a very good read. The characters are described as real people, portrayed with all their flaws and problems. They will remain in the reader's memory for a long time. Manju Kapur narrated many aspects of their life, without inhibition. Even when she wrote about issues which are considered taboo, she dealt with them tastefully and with masterly perfection. I recommend this book to those who want to get a better understanding of life within a joint family in India and to those who enjoy a slowly unfolding family story written with a great skill in beautiful language.
—Barbara Raghavan
I liked this book, but I must admit that I have a weakness for family sagas and this was one that fits the description! I also loved that it was set in India, which gave me an opportunity to learn about Indian culture and the modern Indian family. I was disappointed in the ending of the book when Nisha marries a man she does not love (who is alsp pudgy and old, I might add!), as it really tells the reader that we should settle and that an education is not important for a woman, only that she obeys her family and cooks well! I was surprised as Manju Kapur is herself an academic and a working woman, and instead of telling us that it is good for a woman to have a career and fall in love she tells us the opposite. I was especially disappointed when Nisha decides not to continue her business, which she loved and which healed her in order to be a wife and mother to some fat man she doesn't even love. This is definitely conflicting with my feminist ideals. So although I liked it, I hated the ending and the morals revelaed in the story.
—Catherine
