2023 Int Booker longlist - Pyre

[Arun]

I haven’t read Pyre yet, though I’m discouraged by the criticism of the translation.
I have read the above threads which are very enlightening to me.
I would guess that Saroja is of higher caste simply because in the ManuSmriti- that cursed text in which the evils of caste were formalized into Hindu dharma - marriages between upper caste men and lower caste women were accepted as “Anuloma “ or “conventional order of things whereas marriages between upper caste women and lower caste men were referred to as “Pratiloma “ or inverted order. This is probably because the offspring would assume the patrilineal caste.

[Robert]

In the book the groom’s family are shocked that his bride come from a family who make leather ( if I’m not mistaken) I don’t what that signifies in the caste system

[David]

I finished this today. I liked it more than some people did. 3.5 stars for me. I agree the prose is a bit flat, but it’s not as bad as I was expecting from some of the comments.

[WndyJW]

Robert, I’m certainly not an expert on caste, but I recall in books I’ve read that making leather is foul smelling, hard work and it’s dead animal material so lower caste do that kind of work.