What do You think about Madras On Rainy Days (2005)?
Picked this up a month or so back when I stopped in to release some books on the shelf. Read it while on a trip to Atlanta. Having lived in India, and in a highly Muslim area, I was interested to read many of the details, especially in the beginning, about weddings and commitments. But I also found the writing a little ambiguous in some crucial areas. For instance, for the longest time, I was unclear if Layla needed a good Ob/Gyn, psychiatrist, or exorcism. The "mystery" of her husband's behavior was no real mystery to people immersed in Western culture, but the author stuck to the point of view of the east, which, while frustrating to this reader, was truthful to the thrust of the story. I was a bit surprised when the "reveal" came 2/3 of the way through the book, and am still slightly stunned by the direction the author chose to take the story. Not a book for the faint-hearted, but a shockingly all-too-real depiction of some of the violence that still occurs when religious differences become involved. Part of my discomfort with this book has to do with having to read about seemingly senseless and unplanned violence, where the violence is simply against a type or class or group of people, and the victim is circumstantial (not that I approve of violence in a planned manner, but this type particularly scars my psyche.)
—bookczuk
Richly detailed, Madras on Rainy Days was an interesting view into the lives of two Indian Muslim families. A reluctant bride in an arranged marriage, Layla is frantic due to secrets about her past. Desperate to build a home and a family, Layla goes through with the wedding only to find that almost everyone she knows (her mother, her cousin, her husband) are concealing things and her world shifts and changes with each new revealation. What I particularly enjoyed was how Layla and Sameer's relationship evolved over time. I was fascinated watching them come together and pull apart, never quite meeting in the same place at the same time. I was also interested to watch how each was using the other and why. Reputation, escape, protection, a sense of family and home - the needs and expectations each brought to the relationship added some interesting elements to the story.
—Kerry
