The Inheritance of Loss
2005 • 357 pages
Ratings10
Average rating2.8
15
Ratings10
Average rating2.8
In a crumbling, isolated house at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas lives an embittered judge who wants only to retire in peace, when his orphaned granddaughter, Sai, arrives on his doorstep. The judgeʼs cook watches over her distractedly, for his thoughts are often on his son, Biju, who is hopscotching from one gritty New York restaurant to another. Kiran Desaiʼs brilliant novel, published to huge acclaim, is a story of joy and despair. Her characters face numerous choices that majestically illuminate the consequences of colonialism as it collides with the modern world. Winner of 2006 Man Booker Prize.
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It seemed like Desai was hopping from one character to another, one timeline to another, one place to another more than her character Biju did from one NY restaurant to another. Which, if had been done better would have made it a gripping read- even with the sheer lack of a plot.
Desai is a beautiful writer in terms of descriptions and observations, but eventually the hodgepodge of her thoughts in an incredibly distracting writing style with overuse of lists as humor makes this book a boring read. Better leave it alone.
I had high hopes for this one, as a Booker Prize winner written by an Indian author (a micro-category that has historically worked well for me!). But it turns out it is mostly one straightforward thesis (more or less that colonialism/imperialism are bad because they teach the oppressed to love their oppressors and hate themselves) turned into a nearly 400-page novel with thin, underdeveloped characters and little in the way of actual plot. There are occasional beautiful turns of phrase, but not enough to salvage it.
