Book Review: A Suitable Boy
“The secret to being a bore is to say everything.” Voltaire
That’s the aphorism at the beginning of Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy, and it couldn’t be farther from the truth. The book ends just shy of 1500 pages, but there is little that is boring about it. It’s packed full of vibrant characters whose lives are an interwoven medley of family dynamics, Indian history, politics, culture, and religion. Sometimes Vikram doesn’t know where to stop.
The story starts with Mrs Rupa Mehra’s wish that her 19-year-old daughter Lata marry a suitable boy. Over the course of the novel, Lata meets three eligible young men: the athlete Kabir, the poet Amit, and the businessman Haresh. Who she will marry isn’t so much based on what these men do but rather who they are – how through their sense and sensibility they interact with the world.
The author is throwing a broad net over a volatile period of India’s independence in 1951-52. The Congress is on shaking legs, elections are approaching, and there are potential conflicts across the Hindu, Muslim, Christian, and Buddhist communities. Through the tactics of political parties jockeying for power, Seth touches on all levels of society, from shoe makers to MP’s.
Roll over, DickensThe story is very Dickensian in scope, with plenty of eccentric characters and comic turns that are thrown into contrast against decidedly dramatic incidents. Seth keeps things colorful through the holy days and the festivals. He delights in the small details of dress and custom. You can see the kurtas, saris, lehengas, and dhotis. You can taste the paan, dal, and samosas. Mention ghee, and my mouth was watering.
Twenty years ago, I read A Suitable Boy and knew I would read it again someday. This year, on January 1, I pulled it off the shell. I finished it on September 19 – 263 days later. Granted, I’m a slow reader. But taking that much time made the novel a particularly immersive experience. I found I could dip into it from time to time, and because Seth developed such believable characters, I rarely lost track of where the story was going.
Seth is currently completing the sequel A Suitable Girl which is to be published in 2017.
That’s the aphorism at the beginning of Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy, and it couldn’t be farther from the truth. The book ends just shy of 1500 pages, but there is little that is boring about it. It’s packed full of vibrant characters whose lives are an interwoven medley of family dynamics, Indian history, politics, culture, and religion. Sometimes Vikram doesn’t know where to stop.
The story starts with Mrs Rupa Mehra’s wish that her 19-year-old daughter Lata marry a suitable boy. Over the course of the novel, Lata meets three eligible young men: the athlete Kabir, the poet Amit, and the businessman Haresh. Who she will marry isn’t so much based on what these men do but rather who they are – how through their sense and sensibility they interact with the world.The author is throwing a broad net over a volatile period of India’s independence in 1951-52. The Congress is on shaking legs, elections are approaching, and there are potential conflicts across the Hindu, Muslim, Christian, and Buddhist communities. Through the tactics of political parties jockeying for power, Seth touches on all levels of society, from shoe makers to MP’s.
Roll over, DickensThe story is very Dickensian in scope, with plenty of eccentric characters and comic turns that are thrown into contrast against decidedly dramatic incidents. Seth keeps things colorful through the holy days and the festivals. He delights in the small details of dress and custom. You can see the kurtas, saris, lehengas, and dhotis. You can taste the paan, dal, and samosas. Mention ghee, and my mouth was watering.Twenty years ago, I read A Suitable Boy and knew I would read it again someday. This year, on January 1, I pulled it off the shell. I finished it on September 19 – 263 days later. Granted, I’m a slow reader. But taking that much time made the novel a particularly immersive experience. I found I could dip into it from time to time, and because Seth developed such believable characters, I rarely lost track of where the story was going.
Seth is currently completing the sequel A Suitable Girl which is to be published in 2017.
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