South India. Early 1940s. Sita, a poor, illiterate girl, is given as a child bride to a boy with a dark secret that threatens to bring shame upon his family. Finding herself in a marriage without intimacy, she struggles to transcend her circumstances. She learns to read and weave, finding joy and solace at her loom and release in a brief, forbidden relationship. Yet, alongside her fame as a weaver of tapestries, Sita’s anger and frustration grow as she feels thwarted within the confines of her family life. Then a roll of events, in which she participates, ends with a grave tragedy and a complete unraveling of her spirit. In middle age, she migrates to America to care for her brother’s motherless children who, as they enter adulthood, are fraught with their own conflicts of identity and culture. Nearing death in old age, she asks herself: ‘What has my life been worth? What lessons can be drawn from it?’ Spanning two generations and two cultures, this book is a deeply affecting story rich in character and incident. As the American writer Eudora Welty said, “It parts a curtain, that invisible shadow that falls between people, the veil of indifference to each other’s presence, each other’s wonder, each other’s human plight.”
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Editorial Reviews
Review
A fascinating tapestry of life's labor won and lost. . . at once poignant, ornate, and horrifying. A mesmerizing debut work. -- Derek Bose, Author of Bollywood Unplugged
A suspenseful narrative. . . . vivid imagery and a perfectly orchestrated, streamlined plot. . . . a worthy literary journey. -- Kirkus Discoveries, November 2005
Savvy: All about self-discovery and battling inner turmoil, this one is for those into rural India and women-oriented fiction. -- Savvy, October 2005
The clash of cultures and identities is poignantly portrayed. . . . a saga of hardship, betrayal, survival, spirit and endurance. -- The Sunday Tribune, October 2005
[She's] painted the unnervingly beautiful kind of picture that you can't stop staring at. . . . the most wonderful kind of storytelling. -- The Valley Social, December 2005
A suspenseful narrative. . . . vivid imagery and a perfectly orchestrated, streamlined plot. . . . a worthy literary journey. -- Kirkus Discoveries, November 2005
Savvy: All about self-discovery and battling inner turmoil, this one is for those into rural India and women-oriented fiction. -- Savvy, October 2005
The clash of cultures and identities is poignantly portrayed. . . . a saga of hardship, betrayal, survival, spirit and endurance. -- The Sunday Tribune, October 2005
[She's] painted the unnervingly beautiful kind of picture that you can't stop staring at. . . . the most wonderful kind of storytelling. -- The Valley Social, December 2005
About the Author
Usha Alexander was born to Indian parents who immigrated to the US in the 1950s. Her peripatetic life has taken her through studies in natural sciences and anthropology, with years spent variously in laboratories, in teaching, and in travel. Currently, she lives with her partner and divides her time between New Delhi and San Francisco. This is her first novel.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A story from anywhere, anytime,
By An Indian-American Reader (San Francisco Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Only the Eyes are Mine (Paperback)
A moving family drama with universal themes. The narrative alternates between Sita's present life as an old woman in the US, and her girlhood and youth in India. I found the latter story especially powerful and engaging. Sita grows up into a headstrong young woman not content with the raw deal life has dealt her, but then, blinded by the dreams and impulses we all share, she makes tragic mistakes. At this point, the book is particularly hard to put down as it builds up to a horrifying climax.
As Sita's Indian story unfolds, it starts to illuminate her present life in the US. The confusions of her American niece and nephew feel very real. Unlike so many Indian-American stories, this one does not peddle a cheesy brand of Indian spirituality for western palettes. It has no magical realism, nor is it preoccupied with the migrant's sentimental sense of loss, nostalgia, and pining for a faraway home (and that too from well-fed economic migrants!), but regards home to be, above all, within the self, wherever one is. Here is a sharp and clear-eyed portrait of life in one Indian family. Characters are vividly drawn, they struggle between duty and desire, the dramatic tension is just right. In the Indian story, the author handles with great deftness difficult subjects like infidelity, homosexuality, and incest (between family members not related by blood). In portraying the ancient hijra commune of India, the author seems to have put her anthropology background to good use. Illuminating the story is a nuanced and morally alert narrative voice. Despite Sita's problematic acts, she remains thoroughly deserving of our sympathy -- a testament to the skill of the author as a storyteller. I only wish the author had given more prominence to mid-20th century historical events in India. Nor does she engage much in overt social commentary, but then, this has both pros and cons in a novel. The ending is both apt and cathartic. A truly remarkable first novel.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Crossing the cultural divide - poignant, riveting!,
By
This review is from: Only the Eyes are Mine (Paperback)
I just finished reading Only the Eyes are Mine and it is an amazing novel. I found it deep, riveting, disturbing, warm, uncomfortable, familiar, strange and beautifully written.
It is one of those novels that crosses the cultural divide between India and the USA by being grounded in "of India in both cultures" fluently. It also grapples with diversity in a stark and quite "in-your-face" way yet stays an engaging story, terrific stuff. Since finishing it I have recommended it to friends, some Indian, some ABCDs (of whom there are some at work or some who are married to some) and others including my family. I have no hesitation in recommending it here to all and sundry!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Only The Eyes Are Mine by Usa Alexander is wonderful!,
By
This review is from: Only the Eyes are Mine (Paperback)
I just finished reading this wonderful book. Immediately the main character pulled me in. The writing is well done, the transitions smooth from one time period to another. I think this book would make an excellent gift for someone who likes romance and enjoys learning a bit about other cultures.
I hope to see more by this author. Brenda Roberts, author of A Cold North Wind [...]
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