Customer Reviews

A Good Indian Wife: A Novel

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Cherian's engaging novel melds the diverse cultures of two countries, San Francisco anesthesiologist Suneel Sarath unable to bridge his bifurcated life, successful California physician and dutiful son of Indian parents who expect him to embrace family tradition and choose an Indian wife. Neel, as he prefers to be called in his modern incarnation, returns to the family home in rural India when he learns his grandfather is gravely ill. Soon after his arrival, Neel is enmeshed with his family's machinations, a well-planned effort to match him with an appropriate bride. With no intention of cooperating beyond the most cursory level of social contact, Neel's calculated appeasement backfires; he finds himself wed to thirty-year-old Leila, a teacher of English literature who long ago reconciled herself to spinsterhood. Convinced her dream of marriage and family will never come true, Leila is amazed when the impossible happens, wed to a handsome, if emotionally distant man.

Of course nothing is ever as simple as it appears. While Leila adapts to the idea of the exciting adventures awaiting her in America, Neel has other problems; he has a tangled past, unfinished business only made more complicated by his marriage. There is a long-term girlfriend waiting in San Francisco, Neel's life far removed from the Indian childhood he left behind. Success has allowed unexpected freedoms on the West Coast, including a blonde beauty far from the conventional standards of his family's expectations. Meanwhile, Leila has no idea why her romantic dreams fail to reach fruition, Neel withdrawn and uncommunicative, juggling the real-time problems of married life with a demanding girlfriend who has long harbored her own fantasies of the future. The spirited and independent Leila, confused by her husband's intractability, tries to accommodate Neel's temperament, plagued with self-doubts and vague suspicions.

The author has crafted an elegant, poignant novel that is a joy to read, capturing the characters' intricacies, hopes and disappointments. Both women in Neel's life delude themselves, making excuses for behavior they don't understand. Neel temporizes, caught between two worlds, the familiarity of his Indian heritage at odds with modern Western culture, rebelling at the repression of generations. The very American girlfriend is sadly predictable, tolerating Neel's wife until she becomes an unacceptable threat, Leila full of surprises, discovering her voice in this unfamiliar place where new friends think her beautiful and interesting. The usual problems of early marriage weigh upon this couple, exacerbated by pride and misunderstanding. In a fascinating mating dance that draws the pair together, while at the same time pushing them apart, love planted in foreign soil blooms in the city by the bay. Luan Gaines/ 2008.

Anne Cherian manages to write successfully in multiple 'tongues' -- from those of her protagonists, Leila and Neel, whose arranged marriage leaves them facing a communication gulf is as wide as the distance between 1980's San Francisco and a village in India. The result is very good, particularly for a first novel.

I loved "being" in India and, though some readers might trip over Cherian's use of foreign language, I found it lovely to deduce the meanings (more than once, I found myself salivating over the detailed descriptions of Indian food). And I loved being in 1980's San Francisco (in fact, having lived there then, I found the rendering mightily evocative.)

The novel is indeed Jane-Austinish, particularly in the slowly-evolving opening and the "who's marrying whom?" mystery, but it takes off in the middle and is a real nail-biter all the way to the last page. If you like Austin but want a break from 19th-century England, this is quite a treat. The novel cries out for a sequel -- I long to see what happens as Leila becomes ever more self-confident and independent in her new country.

Cherian writes an unlikely modern-day fairy tale about two sympathetic and authentic characters caught up in a series of cultural expectations and compromises. The story is set in the contemporary global context, where the fluid flows of people, knowledge and cultures across borders create seemingly unlikely unions. The premise of the marriage is such that the reader feels like s/he is watching a fatal accident unfold in slow motion. The twists and turns that the novel takes, replete with cultural mis-steps and misunderstandings, make it a fun and compelling read.

It's a page turner, and I'd recommend it highly.

The book's main characters are believeable enough and are well-written with a good storyline. BUT, and this is huge, Cherian seems to rely on vacuous stereotypes when writing any other character in the book. Take Rekha, who is an American of Indian descent who attends UC Berkeley in the San Francisco Bay ARea. Portrayed as the typical American Born Confused Desi with no clue about of her cultural heritage, Rekha also seems insensible to the vast social and professional network of South Asians in the Bay Area as well as the numerous shelters/services provided specifically for South Asian women. She goes to UC Berekely with its enormous South Asian population and yet seems clueless as to how many outreach groups there are to help South Asians. As for the white characters, they may as well just have labels- Golddigger, Indian Fetish Guy, or Indian Fetish Girl. Unfortunately, the inadequacies in Ms. Cherians knowledge of "white" Americans and Americans of South Asian descent ruins what is otherwise an interesting novel.

"A Good Indian Wife" is the debut novel of Anne Cherian, who was born and raised in Jamshedpur, India. She received graduate degrees in journalism and comparative literature from the University of California, Berkeley, after graduating from Bombay and Bangalore Universities.

"A Good Indian Wife" is what Leila Krishnan yearns to be. She lives in rural India, and teaches English: although intelligent, well-raised, tall and lovely, her parents are comparatively poor and can offer no dowry with her, so she hasn't been able to marry. This has further disastrous economic effects upon her and her family. But her parents do love her, and she has loving relations with two younger sisters.

Dr. Suneel Sarath is handsome, tall and ambitious. He has an American education and veneer; a job as an anesthesiologist in a San Francisco hospital; a small condo overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge; part ownership of a small plane, and a very nice car. And Caroline, a tall, blond, long-legged, beautiful, ambitious American hospital secretary girlfriend. But no wife. And you can remember what Jane Austen, that world-renowned 18th-19th century British author, once said about well-to-do men needing wives? Well, so you can see where this is going, can't you? Neel (he's Americanized, and prefers to be called by that variant of his name) is tricked into another visit back to his Indian family, and before he knows what's hit, he's returning to the States with Leila as his bride.

There can be no doubt that the book is chick lit lite. Still, it's nicely written; quite informative on the subject of arranged marriages. The author tells us volumes about Indian weather, geography, flora and fauna, society and customs: she also does a good job of introducing us to San Francisco as a newcomer might see it. She furthermore gives us a sympathetic account of Leila's immigrant struggles to find her footing, alone. As to the gold-digging blond Caroline, well, what do you expect?

I'm giving this book two stars because I was able to finish it. I genuinely liked the character of Lelia and wanted to see what happened in her life. That said, the writing in this book is horrible! The author continuously tells rather than shows. The dialogue is laughably bad and the character of Neel is very unappealing (other than the nice physical descriptions we get of him). Many of the characters and situations in the book are simply cliches. I read three books by Jhumpa Lahiri last year and loved them. I had expectations that this book would be good, but it didn't even come close.

I absolutely love the cover page of the book. Its smashing. And the book...hmmm well I am not sure I can say I loved the book. I guess I will compromise and call it interesting. I know it really is a tacky word to describe anything..let alone a book. But I realized as I read through the book that it could have been so much better. I really do love Leila's character though. I pretty much understand her and her feelings and its very easy to relate to most of it. However I really can't say much about Neel's character though. I got through that he was confused, but that's absolutely no excuse to act like a jerk. I mean calling him a kid seemed too much of a disgrace. I agree with some of the interplay in the conversations among the secondary characters about how Leila was too good for Neel. Leila has so much going for... I love the way she handles herself throughout. Unfortunately I guess I could even understand her love for her husband. She really grows throughout the book without making a big ado about it. She creates a niche for herself in the world that is not hers. She is strong without having too be aggressive about it. All in all I think the title " A good Indian Wife" really doesn't do a lot of justice to her.

Among the secondary character, I guess Sanjay comes across a great guy who is comfortable in his skin and so much more easy going in his relationship with his "not-Indian" wife. It is easy to like him. Most characters in the book are present mostly to help the story along.

However my complain about the book was more about understanding the settings and timings of when the story was set. It was very unclear as to whether the story was really set in Mumbai or Chennai (as that's where the Iyengars are originally from). I never really understood what village she was talking about and the worst thing I guess was the timing. I kept wondering as to what period/years she was talking about and not till at least 100-150 pages into the book that I came across a line which suggests that the book was set in the eighties. It would have helped greatly to know that. I couldn't comprehend the India in the book to the one I am mostly familiar with now.

To conclude, its definitely an interesting book to read. Beyond that and more, I guess it's the reader's prerogative.

A Good Indian Wife: A Novel I bought this book on a recommendation from one of my patients. This book is rich in detail and you will feel as if you are watching a movie not reading a book. I had a really hard time putting it down. You can really feel the emotions of the characters! With twists and turns and real life emotions this is a book not to be missed!

I can't wait for her next book to come out!

This really was a great book. The author writes like it is her own story it is so authentic. Lots of great things about India - makes you feel as though you are there quite often. I LOVE the main charachter. She could have been written entirely different but everything was believable and entertaining. Heart warming, un heavy (though not light) read with a good ending.

I absolutely loved this book. Behind the story, this book is about the mass of feelings and contradictions that immigrants, specifically Indian immigrants feel upon coming to the US (or any other Western country, I would imagine). If you liked the book, Namesake (Jhumpa Lahiri's book) where the couple could not let go of their 'Indian-ness' (I know a number of immigrants to whom everything in India is the best and everything in the US is mediocre), this book is about the other extreme with Suneel wanting to completely forego his previous identity and become 'white American' (again, true of many Indian yuppies). Most of us swing between these two extremes when we first arrive until we gain the self-confidence to be just us. Suneel's behavior is very disturbing but, if we are honest with ourselves, reflects our own thoughts at times - at least for me, it was a beautifully portrayed character stereotype that we should be aware to avoid in ourselves.