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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
East Meets East, and Christ, You Know It Ain't Easy, June 5, 2009
Remember the days--if they're really gone--when to a lot of people out in the world, America was synonymous with hamburgers, cowboys, cinnamon chewing gum, and maybe California beach boys (so what if you're from New York)? You might have argued that there's a heck of a lot more to American culture, but who knew or cared? What does this have to do with Amruta Patil's brilliantly illustrated graphic novel? Well, Indians actually still live in such times. A huge number of people have few associations with Indian culture besides Bollywood movies, brightly colored saris, lamb curry, deities with too many arms, and perhaps emaciated saintly men in loincloths. Thank you, Hollywood. Fortunately, if slowly, that's changing. If you're wondering what else is going on in India, this book's a good place to look. Kari is a story full of questions and issues that you can relate to wherever you may be in the world--and regardless of whether you're gay like the heroine or not--but it's also still a uniquely Indian story. There has been a lot of interesting writing in recent years that presents another, less stereotypical account of Indian culture, but it's usually centered on the experience of Indian immigrants and their children in the U.S., as is the case, for example, in Jhumpa Lahiri's excellent "Namesake." Amruta Patil also portrays culture clashes, but they are the kind that young Indians experience without ever leaving their own country: the India she shows us is a rapidly changing country, evolving in some ways and devolving in others. But what country isn't, these days? If Kari's India is a strange place, it's no stranger than any place in the world when you're young and trying to find yourself and to figure out how the hell to make it through this love thing in one piece. The days when Western artists and musicians and whoever else could afford it came to India to find themselves are over. If you're interested in a glimpse of how young--and, presumably, not so young--Indians find themselves in India, you won't regret picking up this book. The Bollywood movies, multi-armed gods and goddesses, and lamb curries aren't going anywhere. Have a Masala Dosa, for a change. I bet you'll like it.
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by Jhumpa Lahiri
