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The Inheritance of Loss

Kiran Desai

Start date: December 15, 2010

Finish date: January 15, 2011

Discussion: Reading List

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What Members Thought

Dec 08, 2010 Robert rated it really liked it

This book read like a highly personalized history of great events. The most interesting part for me was the way it read from the individual perspectives of individuals from several strata of the society, yet none of them of any particular historical note for their role in these great events. To get a real sense of the events forming the background of the story, I read a little about Nepalese History and the history of the British Raj in India. The actual story is set against the generations comi This book read like a highly personalized history of great events. The most interesting part for me was the way it read from the individual perspectives of individuals from several strata of the society, yet none of them of any particular historical note for their role in these great events. To get a real sense of the events forming the background of the story, I read a little about Nepalese History and the history of the British Raj in India. The actual story is set against the generations coming of age at the time of and shortly following independence from Britain and carries forward into what seems to be the 1970's. The story is mainly set in an area of northeastern India bordering on Nepal. The ethnicities are very involved, as much of this territory was part of the ancient kingdom of Nepal, and was ceded to the British after a war with the East India Company in the 1800's. It is the ancient home of the Gorkhas, perhaps more familiar to us in the British spelling of Gurkhas. Much of the story is set against the backdrop of political unrest and a movement for Gorkha independence.

Several different characters assume center stage at different points in the story, which, I believe, seeks to present a tableaux of the incredible ethnic and cultural diversity of India including the Indian population abroad in Britain and the United States with ties to the homeland. As such, it provides a bit of a window into what is a very foreign world for this reader. The evolving clash of cultural norms and aspirations is the real nexus of the story. The older generation had tried to become British in spite of their own sense of the ultimate racist attitudes toward real acceptance as equals by the British administration. Following independence, there was a reaction to this by being anti-west and anti-British. As the years moved forward, tensions developed between those who admired and enjoyed British literature, manners, and culture and those who rejected it in favor of newer, evolving cultural mores.

The more modern characters seemed very real to me, while the older generation seemed more like stereotypes. This may be incorrect, as I have little knowledge or experience regarding traditional Indian social customs and beliefs. The author is indian, and is undoubtedly quite familiar with the entire spectrum. The language was excellent, and the story very readable. I think, perhaps, it has a lot of validity as a snapshot of india today in all its continuing evolution and development. I was torn a bit between three and four stars. I liked it, but I wished for more of a final resolution to the story and the characters. This may simply be a measure of my own lack of familiarity with a society in which the only constant is change itself. I gave it four stars, because in the end, I was closer in my heart to really liking it than simply having liked it. ...more

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Dec 10, 2010 Kecia rated it really liked it

Shelves: booker-prize, 1001-books, nbcca-winner, dogs, india

I have a thing for Indian writers. I love the way in which they use the English language. They twist it in new ways that is witty and poetic. The Inheritance of Loss was just such a treat and tickled my love of good writing. I loved the characters and my heart ached for all of them...espically poor Mutt. Maybe not a book for every reader but I loved every page!

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Mar 22, 2010 Kristin rated it it was ok

It was okay. I can't be bothered to say more. ...more

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May 06, 2008 Yulia rated it did not like it

Shelves: repelled-by

Another atrocious Booker winner. Fie on their selection committee. The New Yorker editor was right in considering this offensively bad. Salman Rushdie considered it flamboyant: that was very kind of him, as he's A friend of Anita Desai. In an interview with the NY Times, Kiran Desai even dared call immigration a curse. Bug off. Leave our country, then. Take your Booker Prize and sad lot in life with you. ...more

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