Customer Reviews

Cracking India: A Novel

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I first read this book several years ago and was thrilled that it was finally made into a movie by Deepa Mehta. "Earth" is a great film but I don't think even it can do do justice to this amazing book. My mother's family is from Lahore and came to the Indian side of the border as refugees in 1947 so this book has a very personal meaning for me. It is a wonderful depiction of growing up as a child in Lahore and very authentic. I thought the love story between Ayah and Ice Candy Man was incredibly sad. Ultimately, she was unable to return his love and unable to forgive him for kidnapping her and forcing her to work as a dancing girl before marrying her. My grandparents told me that there were many such sad stories of women who were abducted and never seen by their families again. Unfortunately in times of conflict, it's always the women and children who suffer the most. To me, the most intruiging aspect of the book is that it is written from the girl child's viewpoint and Sidhwa really does try to capture the viewpoint of an 8-year old, although some of the observations were probably too mature for that age. What is amazing is how comic scenes are interspersed with scenes of horrifying brutality. I must disagree with some of the previous reviewers who felt the book was biased towards Pakistan - at no point does Sidhwa blame one community more than another, rather she feels that all communities were to blame for the atrocities that were committed all all sides during Partition to more or less the same extent. If you are interested in reading more fiction that is set against the backdrop of Partition, I would recommend Manohar Malgaonkar's "A Bend in the Ganges". Again, this is a story told from the feminine viewpoint, except that it is an adult woman, Sundari, who is at the center of the story. It may be hard to get hold of in the U.S. but it's well worth the effort!

This tragic story is very personal, as told by a young girl, Lenny Sethi (possibly autobiographical?) living in the Punjab region of northwest India during the few years prior to and after the partition of India. History is full of such terrible stories and horrible truths, but Cracking India has a very familial impact, and completely feminine perspective. We are allowed to become part of the extended family that comprises Lenny's young life. There is a comfortable mix of Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus, Parsees, and Christians prior to the partition, and Bapsi Sidhwa immerses us completely in that unique and unusual world. What a fragile, terrible facade it turned out to be.

Sidhwa does not try to inform us why people are so often so terrible to each other. Is she suggesting that no such understanding is possible? She shows that people live through, but often not beyond, such events. Cracking India is very compelling and unique, completely engaging, and excruciatingly real. I found this story to be completely believable, as the story of a young girl told through her adult perspectives. A completely different world was mine for a brief time in reading Cracking India, and for all its terrors, I am glad I was there. Highest recommendation.

Wrenched from the security of the familiar, a young girl gleans intimate knowledge of the nature of betrayal. As a cosseted child, Lenny's short life is defined by the affection of family, friends and her beloved Ayah. As most children who have the blessing of regularity in their lives and know the indulgence of boredom, Lenny is on an intimate terms with mundane household affairs and neighborhood gossip, her extended family ever available for entertainment and amusing peccadilloes. The family's simple life changes forever with the Partition of India in 1947 and the creation of Pakistan for Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs remaining in the state of India. As citizens of the newly formed Pakistan, this family's everyday reality begins to shift with the changing times, threatening to destroy a child's security and trust forever.

In Lahore, a city that has welcomed differences and encouraged variety, Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus have mixed without incident. After the Partition, the dangers of alliance permanently stamp the mark of change and entire families begin to disappear overnight. In agonizing stages, Sidwha relates this tragic account through Lenny's eyes. And it is that vision, with glimpses of violence flashing around the periphery, that ultimately alerts Lenny to the shape of the future. The juxtaposition of family life and national chaos outlines an insider's interpretation of daily routine and a whole country spinning out of control. Peopled with eccentric characters and quirky personalities, one of the most romantic and beloved is Lenny's beautiful and desirable Ayah. Ultimately, the abrupt disappearance of that Ayah, who has been kidnapped by nefarious characters, is central to the theme of this carefully wrought tale. All sense of harmony and continuity is abruptly shattered by the miasma of violence that seeps under closed doors at night like a poisonous invisible fog. This book is a stunning reminder of the nature of impermanence, "collateral damage" in the form of a loving Ayah, whose lovely spirit is virtually destroyed along with Lenny's innocence.

I was assigned this book for my english class, and wasn't looking forward to reading it. Although I chose the book myself, I wasn't really sure if I had made the right choice. However, once I started really getting into the book, I discovered that i couldn't put the book down-it was incredibly engaging! It showed me how cruel people could be, and the devastating concequences that came from their cruel actions. I found myself feeling happy when the character was happy, sad when the character was sad..etc..this book really opened my eyes to the world around me. This book is very moving and incredibly sad-it is rather graphic at times though. Nevertheless, this will forever be a favorite of mine and I definately recommend it.

Read this book, whether you're Indian, Pakistani, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, whatever -- its lessons extend beyond any one or two countries or religions, and would seem particularly apt at the end of this war-torn century. This is a vividly imagined, lovingly written look at one of the most painful events in the history of the subcontinent, through the eyes of an eight year old whose unbiased loves and loyalties mirror the lost innocence of a people torn apart by the selfishness and greed of a few powerful men. There are no villains here, just (at the risk of sounding cliched) ordinary people unable to cope with events too large for them or for a nation. Love, laughter, trust, betrayal -- on a national scale, reflected in the lives (and deaths) of a circle of friends who thought they were above such strife -- they're all in here, brought to life with a clarity that leaves one both bitterly regretful for what happened and grateful that it has been set down on paper with such grace and compassion. Read this book.

A beautifully written novel. Sidhwa's lilting writing style makes one wonder what lies ahead in the novel. It's joyous and captivating, but also chilling at the same time. "Cracking India" is one of those books that you should just read at night time while curled up in your blankets, sipping a latte or coffee. It cozies up the mind and it is absorbing. Because of the way it flows, I thoroughly enjoyed my read.

However, a flaw that I detected was that Sidhwa's book does not have a glossary of terms with English translations of some Indian/Pakistani words and phrases in the book. And also around Chapter 12, the novel starts dragging in redundancy a little bit. It does pick up some speed on Chapter 18, as you approach the climax. Nonetheless, "Cracking India" is still an enjoyable fiction. It is wonderful to witness many occurrences of the splitting of India through Lenny's eyes and experiences. There are, of course, many other goings-on that make the novel even more interesting. I particularly found the story of Ayah (and Hamida too) a haunting example of human betrayal.

What more can be said? I enjoyed the book.

Bapsi Sidhwa's Cracking India will expand and alter your view of India, Pakistan, and the British Raj. Using a child-narrator, a literary device over-employed and often unsuccessful, this author has found the perfect vehicle for conveying the heart-breaking story of the Partition of India in l947, without being coy and without descending into bathos. Lenny, as the child of a Parsee family, is part of no ethnic majority, and as a result, she roams freely through the Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, and Parsee society of her household and neighborhood in Lahore. Because she is lame and receiving private schooling, she is at home when momentous events and important conversations occur, and because she is very young and has no ethnic biases, she observes the disintegration of her society with the puzzlement of an outsider. An active, loving person, Lenny makes us see the personal and emotional costs of the founding of Pakistan, especially to women and children. Whether your interest is historical, literary, or feminist, Cracking India will illuminate the dangers and tragedies of creating artificial geographical boundaries.

Ms. Sidhwa does a wonderful job of presenting the tensions that exist to this day on the indian subcontinent. I do however feel that she doesn't aptly portray the lives of poor or middle class indians. Probably because the minute percentage that make up the ruling and wealthy classes on the subcontinent are out of touch with the reality that exists in their own country. The only poor people they know are their servants (often unpaid child labor from their tenant farmer's families) and its not like they bother to sit down to tea and ask about their day.

While I saw a previous review that accused Ms. Sidhwa of being racist and inaccurate, I have to disagree. During the time of the partition there were murderers on ALL sides. Muslims slaughtered Hindus...Hindus slaughtered Muslims. While each side bickered about who attacked first, thousands continued to be murdered. I feel Ms. Sidwha presents the both sides impartially.

If only the murders of 1947 could be isolated incidents, but they are not. There is an aftermath that follows such brutal acts. Take for example Nusreen, a woman from a middle class muslim punjabi family. In 1947 she, her two sisters, two brothers, parents and cousins were forced to flee their village because hindu raiders had come to kill all muslims. They didn't have time to pack belongings or take their savings. While migrating to Pakistan her brothers were murdered, leaving the family with nothing for dowries, no means to provide such, and only an old feeble father. As a result she and her sisters were forced into marriages far beneath where they would have been arranged. While Nusreen and her sisters were beautiful young women, respectable and mannered, they were married to brothers who were considered the village bullies. It was the only match that could be obtained without dowries. While that may be a tragedy, and her life was difficult, her influence affected all of her children in positive ways. Her husband may have been a lowly dude wallah but her sons grew up to be doctors, engineers, lawyers. Nusreen, a poor village woman in the punjab and also my mother-in-law, is a woman for whom I have the greatest respect and love.

I hold Ms. Sidwha in the highest esteem for portraying accurately the events on the subcontinent and the cultural differences between the various religious sects but I feel she, like all people from her class have no real understanding of the other 95% who inhabit the subcontinent.

There were far greater tragedies that occurred in 1947 than a rich girl losing her Ayah.

I just finished reading the book. It is wonderfully written and very hard to put down. The author's style of story telling is very engaging and flowing. I enjoyed the novel especially because it is the first time I read a high-quality English novel WITH a desi (Indo/Pak) theme [probably reflects on my limited exposure to the subcontinent's English writers]. Since I am from the same background, I especially enjoyed the local Urdu/Punjabi phrases/terms interspered throughout the book. It could be a bit distracting for the non-desi readers to encounter so many foreign terms [some of them not fully explained]. I almost suspect that the author was primarily writing for desi readers. I also enjoyed verses and translations quoted from famous Indian/Pakistani poets. The novel effectively touches upon a great human tragedy without being judgemental. Great reading, all around! Highly recommended.

"Cracking India" is written with an ambition to shed light on the tragedies of a fragmented nation. Because Sidwha uses the voice of a young child from the small Parsi community, she manages to portray the events of 1947 with fairness. This book uncovers the madness that can be stirred in all people, regardless of faith. It is a shame that some readers can not look beyond there own biases to see that the author makes no attempt to place blame.