A Breath of Fresh Air

by Amulya Malladi

On the night of December 3, 1984, Anjali waits for her army officer husband to pick her up at the train station in Bhopal, India. In an instant, her world changes forever. Her anger at his being late turns to horror when a catastrophic gas leak poisons the city air. Anjali miraculously survives. Her marriage does not.

A smart, successful schoolteacher, Anjali is now remarried to Sandeep, a loving and stable professor. Their lives would be nearly perfect, if not for their young son’s declining health. But when Anjali’s first husband suddenly reappears in her life, she is thrown back to the troubling days of their marriage with a force that impacts everyone around her.

Her first husband’s return brings back all the uncertainty Anjali thought time and conviction had healed–about her decision to divorce, and about her place in a society that views her as scandalous for having walked away from her arranged marriage. As events unfold, feelings she had guarded like gold begin to leak away from her, spreading out into the world and challenging her once firm beliefs.

Rich in insight into Indian culture and psychology, A Breath of Fresh Air resonates with meaning and the abiding power of love. In a landscape as intriguing as it is unfamiliar, Anjali’s struggles to reconcile the roles of wife and ex-wife, working woman and mother, illuminate both the fascinating duality of the modern Indian woman and the difficult choices all women must make.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: India, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Indian Literature, Ebooks, Cultural, Contemporary

240 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 2002

About the author

Amulya Malladi is the bestselling author of eight novels, including The Copenhagen Affair, A House for Happy Mothers, and The Mango Season. Her books have been translated into several languages, including Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Danish, Romanian, Serbian, and Tamil. She won a screenwriting award for her work on Ø (Island), a Danish series that aired on Amazon Prime Global and Studio Canal+. Currently living in California, she is a Danish citizen who was born and raised in India.

amulyamalladi.com
facebook.com/authoramulya

Reviews

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cried like a freaking baby! Much different than her other book The Mango Season in tone but both books deal with human emotion and all the complexities therein and what happens when life doesn't turn out exactly like you (and your family) planned. If you are interested in Indian fiction and love a good cry, this is a good one.

[Lisa (NY) · Rating 3 out of 5]

[3.3] The first pages of this novel, set during the Union Carbide gas explosion in Bhopal, drew me right in. A Breath of Fresh Air is a fast, involving read about Anjali, her ex-husband, husband, and son. I appreciated the insights into Indian culture and marriage, but the novel didn't quite "jell' or live up the promise of its early pages.

[Missy J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh boy...when was the last time I cried so much while reading a book??? I think it was almost two years ago while reading Taiye Selasi's Ghana Must Go. But I didn't cry as much as I did this time with Amulya Malladi's "A Breath of Fresh Air". This time it was horrible! I was bawling like a baby!

But I'm glad I read this book. I'm ashamed to say that I've never heard of the 1984 Bhopal Disaster prior to reading this book. That's the good thing about reading, it expands our horizons. This was a short book and the language was easy to read. At times, it felt like a "chick flick" book, but I don't know much about Indian society, so it was all new and interesting to me.

How men are always favored before women. How strange the notion of divorce was for Indian society in the 80s and the belief that a woman should suffer just to keep her marriage going. The matchmaking and the intricate wedding ceremonies. But more than that, this book is about forgiveness. Again, at times, the characters felt a bit predictable and stereotypical, but I guess whatever the author wanted to convey about life did follow through and it sure made me cry!

[Histteach24 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful! You will be in tears by the end! A true thought provoking book about what it means to forgive! Also a great look at the role of women in Indian society and the taboos of divorce. Makes me thank every feminist who fought for women's rights every time I read quotes from Anju's mom about her sexual responsibilities to her husband!
Also loved the narratives of both husbands-it pitted you one against the other and gave you an insight into the minds of two very different men. Who was right and who was wrong?

[Rehan Abd Jamil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect ending!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the last book by Amulya Malladi I read, and she doesn't disappoint. The books explores two hardships that one may encounter in Indian literature; the Bhopal tragedy at the Union Carbide plant, and the process of divorce. The story takes place entirely in India, unlike The Mango Season and Serving Crazy With Curry. As an engineer, I was drilled in plant safety: the Bhopal tragedy, caused by a bad design that allowed a pressure build-up and rupture of the methylisocyanate (or MIC) tanks and a dispersal of the cloud over the busy Bhopal train station. Thousands were injured, and many died. In this backdrop, lives are changed and broken and mended. It's a stirring story that I relate every time plant safety issues come up.

[Lakshmi Mohan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book that had me hooked. I read it in a day. Books like these keep my love for Indian authors going. Will definitely be reading the rest of the books by Malladi.
It was a very easy read, the language was lucid, the characters were relatable, the facts were well researched. It offers a beautiful insight into Indian culture and traditions and it talks about how divorce is looked down upon in Indian society still.
Will definitely recommend to anyone looking for books by Indian authors.

[Sownbrooklyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I returned home from the library with this book about five o'clock this evening. I've finished it in just a few hours. I could not put it down. Anjali's heartache leapt off the page. I was/am profoundly affected by the sadness of this woman's life. I would recommend this book to anyone feeling needlessly sorry for themselves and in need of a reality check. I could barely read the last pages through my tears as my healthy, beautiful children played alongside me. Although I can't shake the sadness I feel for these fictional characters I am left feeling and equal amount of gratefulness.

[Ahtims · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a good read, though I didnot like it as much as Mango season by the same author. It was a poignant tale entwining Bhopal tragedy and Indira Gandhi's assassination with an infidel husband and a wife with a backbone, who decides to leave him and build a life for herself, little knowing that a few accidental moments of her past will haunt her future and affect her child. I liked the characters, though there were too many incidents occuring at the same time. I would recommend this to all Indian fiction lovers.

[Claire S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't like this one quite as much as 'Serving Crazy with Curry', that one really gripped me. But this one was good, I guess the tone was just a bit quieter. If I'd read it first, I probably wouldn't miss her style in 'curry' as much.

I'd had no idea that the Bhopal tragedy caused birth defects afterward, it's all so despicable and tragic.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it was interesting to use a real event to shape the story. The book centers more on a woman's role in India in 1984-2000, then on the Bhopal gas tragedy. However, when an author uses a real event from history, I think the purpose is to offer commentary and I didn't feel like the author gave any other perspectives on how the tragedy affected people other than these few. This was disappointing to me. The novel does a good job of portraying how hard life was for women, how they had very little choice in their lives and how it began to change, as proven by the some of other female characters. Her best friend, Harjot, chooses a career first, and Indira, who is strong, and although would not choose divorce, will not be disrespected or taken for granted. Anjali questions her decision to divorce when her ex-husband resurfaces. I found this understandable, but also it dragged on too long. I didn't really like most of the characters in the book, they were generally 1-dimensional. The sister-in-law who is spiteful and nagging, The parents who cannot really forgive their daughter, the other wives who gossip and play cards. Even Anjali, though strong in some ways, was very much a victim.

I didn't feel that this book gave me insight into life in India. When the book ended, I was left feeling like it was superficial, and I was watching the characters from the outside, not really understanding anyone's perspective. Why was Komal so spiteful? Was is simply that her life didn't turn out how she wanted? What motivated the parents to turn a blind eye to their daughter's happiness, even when her ex-husband confessed that it was all his doing? Why was Sandeep so different, really modern, in his believe that divorce wasn't a stigma? Were his parents modern in their beliefs?

I would have liked to see a chapter on the perspective of Amar, and possibly Anjali's parents, Komal, and Harjot. I wish I could say I enjoyed this book, but I found fell flat of my expectations.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Authors writing about India often dip into the high-lights and low-lights of the nation's history when plotting their novels. The end of Empire, Partition, the death of Indira Gandhi and the rioting that followed crop up - as they should - again and again in novels but the one 'BIG' event that I've not previously seen used (except in the absolutely outstanding 'Five Past Midnight in Bhopal' by Dominique Lapierre and Javier Moro) is the Union Carbide disaster of 1984. Five Past Midnight is a life changing book, one that touched me like few others, but A Breath of Fresh Air really is a breath of fresh air in touching on the Bhopal tragedy by viewing its impact on one woman and her family, many years later. It could have been a lot more sensationalised but the author has resisted the temptation to dig too deep into the events of that terrible night. I take my hat off to her for touching lightly without exploiting the event.

Anjali is happily married to Sandeep and has a son, Amer, who is critically ill. Anjali's life could have been so different. Married after her studies finished to an army officer, Prakesh, she could have had a gilded life of parties, jewellery and rich saris but instead she divorced Prakesh - for reasons you'll find out half way through the book - after getting caught up in the Bhopal isocyanate cloud that gave her breathing problems.

Life as a divorced woman is not easy. Her colleagues at school don't know about her past and even her widowed sister-in-law has no idea that she had been married before. When Prakesh turns up in Ooty where Anjali lives, her past threatens her present as well as her emotional well-being. There is so much in this book about people trying to handle their pasts. Anjali can't help but hate Prakesh for what he did to her long ago, but his apologies aren't helping her or her family.

I didn't overly like the last Amulya Malladi book I read (A House for Happy Mothers) because I found it too light and fluffy and didn't think it handled the ethical issues of surrogacy well. I'm much more impressed by 'A Breath of Fresh Air' for getting into the emotions and challenges around dysfunctional relationships, divorce, widowhood, illness and confronting your past. I have several more Malladi books on my shelf and reading this one means I'll be reading the others sooner than I'd planned.

[Dmcoots · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Breath of Fresh Air was exactly that, a breath of fresh air. It was the kind of read that you become invested in the people and their stories. Sometimes you like them sometimes you might not but you feel like you are reading their stories from their hearts. Amulya Malladi is one talented person and I look forward to reading the rest of her books!

[Megan]

On the night of the Bhopal gas tragedy, Anjali waited in a Bhopal train station, her arrival forgotten by her adulterous husband. The suffering she witnessed and experienced that night left her with lingering physical and emotional wounds, and while Anjali survived, her marriage did not.

Once a superficial but dutiful wife, Anjali had been thrilled with the status her talented military officer husband provided her. But life as a military wife brought her into contact with diversity previously unknown to her, and she began finding her authentic self, and authentic strength, through new friendships. And when she determinedly held on to her decision to divorce Prakash, completely rejecting cultural mores, Anjali began to truly grow up.

This is just the backstory to Amulya Malladi's A Breath of Fresh Air. The story really starts when, over a decade later, Anjali runs into Prakash again. She and her second husband, Sandeep, are doing their best to take care of their twelve-year-old son who is dying of birth defects caused by the Bhopal disaster. Their relationship, however, is thrown off-balance by the sudden presence of Prakash and his second wife. Told in alternating first-person sections narrated by Anjali, Sandeep, and Prakash, the novel jumps back and forth in both time and perspective, but the story it weaves is still tight and focused, the emotional strands varied but rich in the complete picture they create.

The strength of the characters made this book an excellent read for me. I loved Anjali and Sandeep, and while Prakesh's sections weren't as strong as Anjali's or Sandeep's, I still thought they fleshed out the story in thoughtful, necessary ways. All the characters were complicated, and they were shown facing down choices that allowed them to grow (or to not). The emotional landscape of this novel was somewhat bitter, somewhat sweet, but it was unyieldingly genuine in its depiction of love, fear, and relationships.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story takes many of the customs in India and weaves it into a story about learning, freedom, independence, and love.

Anjali is a divorced women, a status that her culture looks down upon. Even her parents blame her for the failure of her marriage. But after trying to naively make her marriage work, Anjali is pushed to think about her own life first when her first husband forgets to pick her up at the train station the night of a gas attack. Paired with his adultery, Anjali leaves him.

Years later she is remarried to Sandeep, but when she sees her ex-husband with his new wife, she is beset by memories of the past and haunted by the thoughts of what could have been if she’d stayed in the marriage. Anjali is also trying to come to terms with her own asthma and her son’s illness, both a result of the gas attack, and both which she blames her ex-husband for.

The story is told from three view points, Anjali’s, Sandeep’s, and the ex husband, Prakash’s. The reader becomes a witness to their individual memories, insecurities, and feelings which only makes this novel even more endearing. Even Prakash, a very unlikable character, is made less detestable once you are able to see his progression from a young, cocky, military man to an older, run-down man who is dogged by his mistakes.

The novel is short and an easy read, but the story is told in such a way that its depth is obvious. Definitely a good read and well recommended.

[Pooja Jagtiaani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amulya Malladi is one of my favourite authors and this is the fourth book written by her that I have read and loved.

Like all her other books which I have read, A Breath Of Fresh Air deals with human emotions and all the complexities therein and what happens when life doesn't turn out exactly like you planned it.
The first few pages set during the Union Carbide gas explosion (Bhopal gas tragedy) caught my attention and drew me right into the story.

This is a fast paced novel about Anjali, her ex-husband, husband and son. The story really starts when over a decade after the Bhopal gas tragedy, Anjali runs into her ex-husband, Prakash. She and her husband, Sandeep are doing their best to take care of their twelve year old son who is dying of birth defects caused by the Bhopal disaster. Their relationship is thrown off balance by the sudden presence of Prakash and his second wife.

The novel jumps back and forth in time and the first person perspectives of Anjali, Sandeep and Prakash. The reader becomes a witness to their individual memories, insecurities and feelings which makes this story more endearing.

It is a short and easy read, but at the same time delves deep into the emotions and challenges around dysfunctional relationships, divorce, widowhood, illness and confronting your past.

I would personally rate this book a 4/5.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is the story of Anjali telling the story of her two marriages to Sandeep and his previous husband Prakash.

The central plot concerns Prakash had forgotten to pick up Anjali in the railway station to take her home which was the night of the Bhopal gas tragedy (December 3, 1984) - the gas explosion from the Union Carbide factory.

Both Anjali and her son Amar will suffer the consequences of Prakash's irresponsibility act.

This is a very touching story told by 4 narrators which are the main characters (including Indu, the second wife of Prakash) showing how their relationships interfere with their own lives.

Since the plot takes place during the 70's and 80's years in India, the author also mentions the social disapproval of a divorcee woman, a fact not so well accepted by her own relatives.

The assassination of Indira Gandhi by the Sikhs is also mentioned in the narrative.

[Neela · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a quick read. The story was not that engaging. The writing was dry and simple. Also I couldn't connect with the characters and feel the emotions.

Anjali - She looked feeble minded despite having a husband ( Sandeep) who deeply loved her. She was in safe hands - for Sandeep her past did not matter at all. I could not comprehend why she would wish Indu to dislike Prakash as much as she did to vindicate herself she did the right thing.

Anjali's parents - They were next to impossible. It nagged me that they still took her ex-husband's side.

Prakash - The character I loathed. Until the end I was not convinced he was sorry for what he had done. I felt he was forgiven easily.

Sandeep - The only character I liked in the story. Too nice of a man to exist in reality.

[Britta · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out promising, but it just didn't rise up. To include Indira Gandhi's assassination and the Union Carbide disaster, but then explore them so little struck me as a terrible waste. The rest of the story was focused on 3 people: a woman, her ex-husband and her current husband. The taboo on divorce is a continuous background. But, overall the story about these three (and told, alternatingly, from each of their perspectives) just kept repeating. Finally a little forward motion, but not enough for my tastes.

[Gerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable. As a non-Indian, it gave a glimpse into some aspects of that culture, which always helps to broaden understanding in our own relationships with people from other cultural backgrounds. It also showed how alike we are with universal themes in terms of family relationships, the healing that goes with forgiveness, and the strong bonds of friendship.

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book,

A journey into the human heart. Definitely a must read. Great prose and style. This is an excellent, well-written novel, fascinating on so many levels. It explores love and life their depths, deceits, strengths, and it is a compelling read about a society so different from our own.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thin book of only 214 pages, this is my first Amulya Malladi novel, and I enjoyed it.

The story takes place in India. I love reading and learning about different cultures, though I already knew quite a bit about people of India and their customs. I knew that the male is the dominant figurehead in the family, marriage isn't based on love, but love "will come over time" in the marriage because it's the parents who set up their children, sometimes even before the babies are born. I knew that it's okay for the husband's to hit their wife and divorce is a big no no. It's okay if the husband strays and have affairs, if he's caught, it's the wife to be blame, what did she do that he strayed? I don't claim to understand any of this or feel that any of it is right, but who am I, it's not my culture, I don't get to dictate to them how to do it. I just find it difficult to accept that they accept this as the norm, because I feel women aren't and shouldn't be treated as second class citizens, wives shouldn't blindly follow their husbands just because he says so. We have our own brain to make decisions and do what is right for ourselves, and for our daughters. I have an issue in not being treated as an equal, and why am I not? Because I'm a female. This saddens me, and can make me angry. Though you can see that this is changing for them too, it isn't so much the norm as it once was. People are slowly believing that women can be treated as equals as Anjali's husband is just one such wonderful man who believes in his wife. All these issues are touched on, and based on in this novel.

I found it fascinating of a cure for asthma and bronchitis: have a live murrel fish stuffed with herbs and water put inside the mouth, which then has to be swallow. The treatment lasts for three years, which means once every year for three years you must do this same ritual again. It has worked for some people, though Anjali says it didn't work for her. I wouldn't be willing to try it if I suffered with asthma and bronchitis; I hate fish! LOL

I think the most important factor that is taken away in this story is about forgiveness.

Spoiler Alert: As for the ending, it had to end this way. It wasn't a happy ending, but a perfect ending because someone gets their last request granted, and you are going to have some tears about it too.

[Bharath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a family drama set in the backdrop of the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984, and to a lesser extent the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The book starts with Anjali waiting for her husband Captain Prakash Mehra to pick her up from Bhopal railway station in 1984. After waiting for a long time, she considers taking a taxi. Pandemonium breaks out, and a taxi driver who offers to take her, collapses and dies. She spots an army jeep, which rushes her to a hospital, and it is many days before she recovers.

In 2000, Anjali is a teacher in a school in Ooty. She is divorced from Prakash and is now married to Sandeep. Sandeep is a maths professor in college. They have a son Amar who is often unwell, a secondary impact of the gas tragedy. Sandeep’s sister Komal who lost her husband in an accident lives with them. Anjali’s parents and brother have little contact with her, being of the view that she rushed into a divorce. There are friends, however, who support her. As coincidence would have it, Prakash is posted nearby and they see each other one day. He is now married to Indira (daughter of an army man) and they have two children.

I do not often read family dramas but do pick a few on and off. This book packs a lot for its size and the writing is very good. There is very good character development. The story is told through the perspectives of Anjali, Sandeep and Prakash, and all of them bring good individual viewpoints. The story handles the relationship issues well and in depth. The character behaviours are very apt for the situations of the story – the biggest strength of the story. I liked all the characters of the story, and the aspects of love, hope, regret and amends they express. An exception to this is Anjali's parents’ behaviours, which I found to be over the top and unnatural. The political views the characters express are simplistic & lame, but thankfully brief. The story goes well above the usual domestic dramas but falls short of being memorable.

[Amina · Rating 4 out of 5]

An emotionally charged story!
This novel is about the gradual emotional development and maturity of three main characters: Anjali, her ex-husband Prakash, and current husband Sandeep. It’s mainly about a haunting past and reconciliations. If you have been grieving over the loss of a beloved one, you may reconsider reading this book now because it will trigger unpleasant emotions, and evoke painful memories, as it may well help you reconnect.

The plot:

There are no big turns or twists in the plot. The author deploys two critical events in the history of India as major tuning points in the lives of the characters, which will take them on a turbulent emotional journey.

I think the author did a great job on the opening chapter, the way she started the novel will immediately suck you in.

Characters:

Malladi narates her novel through the three main characters’ voices. You get to piece together the full story as the narrative shifts between different points of view. That reminds me of “the Help” by Kathryn Stockett. This multiple voice technique helps the reader to delve into the mind and inner feelings of each main character and see the story from their vintage point.

For example, Sandeep is presented by his wife as a calm, self-composed, carefree and confident man, but once the narrative switches to his point of view, you can see that he carries so many fears and insecurities. That brought to my mind the TED talk of Chimamanda Ngozi Adeche when she expressed her concern over “the Danger of a Single Story” and how we should be exposed to the different sides of a story to avoid misinterpretations.

The story brings up issues related to gender discrimination, gender stereotypes, feminism, religious conflict, political turmoil, and cults,etc

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

So very engaging! The plot advances in three perspectives: Anjali, the central character, experienced both a keen disappointment in her traditional Indian marriage and the tragic accident of the Bhopal gas leak within the same year. She survives with a bad case of asthma but holds her husband accountable for not picking her up at the train station two hours before the disaster, as he promised to do. She takes the initiative to divorce him, since the reason for his absence was infidelity, part an ongoing affair. In 1980s India this was a shocking step for a woman, and her traditional Brahmin family can’t forgive her for it. Nevertheless she finishes a Master’s degree, begins a teaching career, meets a professor and they fall deeply in love, get married and have a child.

The professor, Sandeep, and the first husband, Prakash, are the other voices telling the tale. It revolves around Anjali’s and Sandeep’s only child, whom they have lovingly nursed since his birth revealed in utero damage from the methyl isocyanate gas Anjali had inhaled years before. So yes, this is an unfolding tragedy. The reader knows what will happen, but HOW it happens and how the central characters cope with it are the story Malladi communicates so beautifully.

[Priya Srinivasan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Breath of fresh air- amulya malladi
6/35 2019, goodreads reading challenge.
#goodreadschallenge2019 #bookreview

I finished this book in 2.5 hours. I read fast and If I find the book interesting I read in one go.
A story of a divorcée, who is remarried to a person whom she loves in many ways better than her previous husband, they don’t have much on the money front but have loads of Love to share.
Anju/Anjali a Bhopal gas tragedy survivor living with her husband Sandeep and only son Amar in Ooty. Husband and wife both are in teaching profession.
They don’t have much but whatever they have they feel content about it.
Anjali one day meets her ex-husband in the market and it brings back whole lot of bitter memories and a struggle between her present life and the what if’s , if she lived the past in life, is the story.
The struggles are real, as usual I like the narration, if it isn’t catchy I won’t be finishing the book.
The final chapter with amar in the hospital i expected that it is going to have a totally different end, but it is the expected end and it makes you feel sad, mind it you know the end, even then it makes you sad.
Pick this book, if you are ok with reading a novel about a regular woman whom you can find in your neighborhood her life and her emotional battles.

[Samantha Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was astonishing. I would recommend it to anyone. However it can be tricky to read. It goes from one narrator to the next every other chapter and it can get confusing from time to time of who is speaking. A Breath of Fresh Air teaches you that you can be who you want and you can love who you desire. Anjali grew up in a family where she couldn’t be whom she really was, she had to hide from her family. She teaches all of the readers that we all can be who we want, we control ourselves. Don’t let your parents control who you are or will be. Also this book had death in the end but anjali handles it very well and leaves off with a good note. She knew her son belonged in a better place and that everything happens for a reason. If you love a good romance book, I would highly recommend this book to you. However, if it is hard to keep on track of what you are reading I would not recommend because of how much the narrator change from chapter to chapter without recognition. All in all, it was a good book.

[Kathie Kuehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book! I have added this author to my list of favorite Indian authors and am looking forward to reading her other books. The story starts with the tragic gas leak and explosion on December 3, 1984 in Bhopal, India. The main character, Anjali, is waiting at the train station in Bhopal for her husband, Prakash, to pick her up. He is an officer in the Indian army and they are in a rather unhappy arranged marriage. He never shows up and Anjali is exposed to the toxic fumes. This incident will have serious and long term effects for Anjali’s second marriage to Sandeep and their son, Amat. I liked how this book was told through the eyes, not only of Anjali, but also through both of her husbands. It is a tragic story that provides an excellent insight into Indian life and culture…the always dominant male, the subservient wife who is totally dependent on her husband, arranged marriages, the scandal of divorce…all are part of this story. Accountability for past mistakes and forgiveness play big parts in this book. I highly recommend it!

[Vimal Madhavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiring read.
The appalling Bhopal Disaster is a compelling base on which to build a story that allows reflections and comments on personal and community relations, customs, and habits.
Malladi carefully and sympathetically takes us on a journey through the joys and pitfalls of life in a changing society – navigating between the demands of a traditional society and the emerging expectations of women (and men) who have different, often more individual, aspirations.
It is a tale of tender love, malicious gossip, chauvinism, heartbreak and redemption. It is also the tale of a person developing from an excitedly hopeful youngster to a mature, realistic, person preparing for the joys and realities of adulthood.

Spoiler alert follows......!!!
My only disappointment was that Sandeep was deprived of the chance to be at the final act.
Anju, Amar and Sandeep had been on a journey together for the previous 12 years. It was heartbreaking to see the very loving and committed Sandeep denied a presence at the most final and personal of moments

[Poppy-Kathryn Dews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read another of Amulya Malladi's books, "House of Happy Mothers," which I didn't like and quit reading before it ended. "A Breath of Fresh Air" is a good read! A story well told re/a true and tragic event that occurred in India, with well fleshed characters, and which kept me interested from beginning to end. My only objection, and why I couldn't give it 5 stars, is due to her jumping back and forth between the main characters. It did allow the reader to understand each person's feelings, but it interrupted the story's flow and I found it a bit disconcerting. I'm still trying to decide if there was a better way to tell it, and am at a loss.

All in all, I liked it, and will give some of Ms. Malladi's other books a try in the near future.