Customer Reviews

The Sound of Language: A Novel

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THE SOUND OF LANGUAGE by Amulya Malladi
Rating ***** (5 Stars)

February 23, 2008


THE SOUND OF LANGUAGE is by Amulya Malladi, a writer who has come a long way since her debut novel A BREATH OF FRESH AIR. This reviewer has been privileged to watch this writer grow, and with each new book she writes she gets better and better. THE SOUND OF LANGUAGE is a departure for Malladi, because this is the first book in which the central characters are not of Indian descent, and the main body of the story takes place in Denmark, not India or America.

Raihana is a woman escaping the horrors of Afghanistan and settles in a foreign country with relatives. Denmark is as far away and as different as one can get from Afghanistan and her initial experiences in this new country are not happy ones. She cannot speak the language, finds learning the language quite difficult, and misses her husband Aamir, who was taken prisoner by the Taliban and is presumed dead.

As she learns to speak the language, Raihana equates the Danish speech akin to the sound of bees. Coincidentally enough, she is placed into a program where she is asked to work for an elderly man, Gunnar, who is a keeper of bees. Through him, she will improve her Danish and find a means to earn a living at the same time. She cannot forever live with her cousins Kabir and Layla, although they have been very kind by inviting her to live with them in Denmark. But, eventually Raihana will have to move on and make a life for herself.

Raihana's Danish is actually very good relative to her time spent in the country, but with her work with Gunnar and his bees, she begins to feel comfortable speaking the language, and becomes somewhat comfortable with the culture. Gunnar's own story is that he has lost interest in life since his beloved wife had passed away. A good friend of his recognizes that maybe if he got involved in something important, it may bring him back to life. Raihana's past experience with bees is what brings the two unlikely people together, but what is extraordinary is the friendship that develops between them, despite the prejudice that goes on around them, and the language barrier that they eventually break down.

This is Amulya Malladi's best novel to date. She obviously did immense research on the industry of honey and bees, and she was able to make the culture and the people come alive. The reader will feel a connection and empathize with the immigrant Raihana. She is alone in the world, living far away from her native Afghanistan, a young widow with no means of making a living. Through the kindness of her distant cousins, she is able to make a new life for herself. Her future is very vague, and without the skill of speaking the native language, Raihana knows her future is doomed.

This reviewer loved the pairing of Gunnar and Raihana. The two very unlikely friends will strike a chord in the reader's heart. It is a friendship that is highly unlikely in this world of Danes and Afghanistan immigrants, as there is a lot of racial tension between the two groups. Both Raihana and Gunnar know the danger of befriending the other, yet their conscience tells them that there is nothing wrong with it. Gunnar sees new life when he begins to trust Raihana and opens up his house to her. And Raihana becomes confident with her beginner's Danish, as she soon becomes comfortable with the language and impresses those around her with her ability to learn it quickly.

Having always had a fear of bees, this reviewer is now ready to learn more about making honey. Malladi gave an in-depth look into this fascinating industry, and did so with meticulous detail. The reader will be intrigued not just by the relationship between Raihana and Gunnar, but by the work they do every day. Malladi paints the process as a thing of beauty, and the characters' love of bees can be contagious. Other various themes in the book include the prejudice encountered by the Afghans after 9/11, as well as the fear and uncertainty any immigrant feels coming to live in a foreign country where they cannot speak the native language. The reader will see Raihana grow as a person, and while she never loses her yearning to return to the country she fled, she embraces a new culture that reluctantly welcomes her and her people with open arms. THE SOUND OF LANGUAGE gets 5 hearts. - Courtesy of Love Romances and More - M. Lofton

I have read almost all of Amulya Malladi's books and this one is a step above the others. The Sound of Language is the story of hope. Raihana's hope to find a better life, her friend Layla's hope to become Danish, Layla's husband, Kabir's hope to go back to Afghanistan some day, and Gunnar's hope to live after his wife's death. Beautifully written, this book introduces us to refugee life in Europe. Highly recommended!

While I wouldn't say this book was phenonmenal, it was enjoyable to read. Ms. Malladi developed characters who were interesting and intriguing. There was one thing that disturbed me about this book, however. I felt slightly annoyed with Ms. Malladi's portrayal of practicing, observant Muslims as extremists and non-practicing Muslims as preferable- the "good ones." The fact is the Muslim communuity is much more diverse than that and is far more complex. There are practicing Muslims who are outgoing, open-minded and tolerant. At one point in the book I thought Layla would serve as an example of such Muslims. Yet, when she is contrasted with the main character, Raihana, who does not wear hijab and wears "Danish clothing" it is clear that Raihana is the preferable Muslim. It's unfortunate that Ms. Malladi's characters fall into the same boring stereotypes of Muslim women. Nonetheless, The Sound of Language was a solid read.

While it is not difficult to find books depicting the refugee/immigrant experience in the United States, Amulya Malladi has given this book a twist by setting it in Denmark. Raihana Khan is an Afghani woman who was able to leave her Taliban-controlled country. She is alone in a Pakistani refugee camp when she receives word that a cousin living in Denmark would take her in.

Raihana arrives in Denmark with no knowledge of the language or culture. To her ears the Danish language sounds like the hum of bees - completely unintelligible. But Danish law requires her to go to language class and learn to speak and read it. Her cousin's wife, Layla, is also in the class and is initially helpful in translating Danish into Dari - Raihana's native tongue.

She is a good student and her teacher, Christina, pairs her with an old friend who has recently lost his wife, to practice speaking Danish with a native speaker, and also to learn beekeeping. Gunner is not initially excited about his new assistant. He harbors several prejudicial ideas about what an Afghani woman might be like. But Raihana is bright, educated, hard working and truly interested in the bees. She wins him over and at the same time finds that she truly loves working with honeybees.

This book deals with the many difficulties of being a refugee and a widow - particularly in a small homogenous country such as Denmark. People are not generally happy to have an influx of non-Danish people in their midst. The refugees themselves are not sure they even want to be in this cold, damp place where everyone eats pork and seem to look askance at all Muslims. Malladi currently lives in Denmark and has firsthand immigrant experience.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The play of cultures was fascinating. I have read two other enjoyable novels by Malladi - Song of the Cuckoo Bird and Serving Crazy with Curry. This book is even better than those.

Armchair Interviews says: Well-written story that brings this person's struggle to life.

A friend of mine lent me this book. (I've now purchased my own copy because it is a must keep for my home library) Knowing that I am a hobbyist beekeeper, she thought that I would enjoy the read. What she didn't know is that I would become grossly engaged in the story of these two cultures--Kabul and Denmark. Engaging for this American reader to learn of Denmark's systems for integrating immigrants to their country. It was refreshing to see Raihana character not play the victim, but rather to have the mind set that this was her new life, and although a struggle to learn the new language she would try her best to acclimate. I loved how the author likened Danish language to sounding like the buzzing of bees. When spring emerges here in the great North East, I will have to sit with my bees and hear if their buzzing sounds like Danish! I'm recommended this books all my avid reader friends.

I stopped reading my other books and finished this one within 2 nights. Amulya's ability to bring characters to life is remarkable and this book is no exception. As always, the entire novel was very satisfying and I look forward to her future work.

The Sound of Language is set in Denmark shortly after September 11, 2001. It focuses on two main characters: Raihana, a presumably widowed Afghan refugee who just moved to Denmark to live with distant relatives, and Gunnar, a recently widowed, depressed Dane who kept bees with his wife, Anna. Although Anna and Gunnar are the focus of the story, there is a broad cast of characters.

Each chapter begins with an excerpt from Anna's beekeerping journal from 1980, the second year she and Gunnar kept bees. Both Anna and Gunnar tell their stories, and the interior monologue is beautiful and often tragic. Anna feels she will never learn Danish; to her, the language sounds like the buzzing of bees. The Danish government requires refugees to go to language school and have a practicum. Anna ends up at Gunnar's home to learn beekeeping and the language. The tension among language, understanding, culture, communication and emotions resonates on every page.

The Sound of Language is both an intensely personal story and the story of cultures as a whole. Malladi's command of language was breathtaking. I was immediately drawn into Raihana's story. This novel grabbed me from the first page. I am amazed at how much story was in two hundred pages. At the core of this tale are the themes of identity, place and home. While the story is about Afghans and Danes, it's universally beautiful. It's the best book I've read so far in 2009.

Malladi's book is a great book detailing the experiences of immigration, especially for refugees. Even though it is a novel, it offers a pretty insightful look into the lives and emotions of refugees, ethnic communities, and their affect on their adopted country.
The book effectively uses the symbolism of keeping bees and the swarm of bees to talk about how a refugee's experience integrating into a new society and how, for the author, the adopted country's language sounded like the buzz of bees. I think the author also invokes different perspectives about immigration and ethnic conflict as it seems to be a prevalent theme in many of the world's countries.
The only disappointment with the book might be in how the author seems to hastily resolve personal conflicts within each of the main characters. Each has a dilemma (trying to get over mourning for a recently deceased wife and contemplating marriage, respectively) that does not seem to be drawn enough and is resolved too suddenly.
Aside from that, I really enjoyed the book, its plot, and its message. This book will certainly help readers to empathize with the experience of immigrating to a new and completely foreign society and the struggles involved. More importantly, it will keep your attention from start to finish - I read the book in under 2 days!

I have read many novels by immigrants living in the States and UK, and I really enjoyed the different setting and the Danish perspective. My copy included an author interview, and I was quite interested to read her comments on the differences between being an immigrant in the States and Denmark -- she is an immigrant living in Denmark with her Danish husband, and the book is rich with an insider's knowledge and experience.

The story was an easy read without being sappy or "too easy," and I found each charcter's perspective to be very well-drawn. I liked the details of the character Raihana's background of coming from Kabul, having lived under Taliban rule -- it was detailed enough to paint a vivid picture of what she suffered and what she left behind, but not so graphic as to be horrifying.

I found the details of beekeeping absolutely delightful and imagined becoming a beekeeper at some point! Pure fantasy, most likely, but I at least would like to spend a day or two with a beekeeper to see what it's like. I enjoyed that aspect thoroughly.

As I say in the title, an easy read -- but very worthwhile.

What is the sound of language? To Raihana, it's bees. When she hears Danish, it's like the buzzing of swarms of bees, confusing her and leaving her unsure in her new country. A refugee from Afghanistan, Raihana settles in Denmark with extended family and tries to build a new life for herself by attending Danish classes and immersing herself in Danish culture. To accomplish this, she spends time with Gunnar, an old Danish man who has recently lost his wife. He finds himself at a loss for taking care of his late wife's bees, so Raihana helps him. Together, they recover from their wounds and build a friendship. The Sound of Language by Amulya Malladi follows the personal journey of Raihana as she struggles to build a new life for herself as a refugee in Denmark while coming to terms with the horrors of her past in Afghanistan.

Raihana doesn't have an easy time of it. Everyone seems to disapprove of her friendship with Gunnar, from the Muslim woman in her class who insists Raihana is a "fallen woman" for associating with an unmarried man (however innocent the relationship may be) to Gunnar's daughter-in-law, who is convinced that she is a lazy immigrant who refuses to work and will steal anything in sight. Malladi tackles these prejudices head on; she tries to show these delicate issues from multiple points of view and succeeds in giving the reader different opinions, some very controversial, on these matters.

The Sound of Language is Malladi's first book about the Middle East rather than about India, but that fact isn't obvious. She writes about the cultural conflicts of Afghanis and Muslims living in Western society with a certain grace and fluidity, taking ideas that are foreign to Westerners (for example, Raihana's proposed marriage to a man with a wife and family in Pakistan) and, without defending these practices, stating them as fact. This is how it is in other cultures - accept it. This straightforward, unapologetic approach is refreshing. There is no need to make excuses for or justify these unique cultural practices, and Malladi doesn't stoop to this level.

The most remarkable feature of Malladi's book is how beautifully it is written. It flows seamlessly - there are no jarring transitions, no sentences or words out of place. It is simply a delight to read. The characters are also well developed, each with his or her own reasoning and personal prejudices, and Malladi makes their points of view clear and easily understood without resorting to unnecessary explanation. She understands each character well and has fleshed them out thoroughly. The book in itself conveys pure joy - while the story is not always happy, that delight is still there, lurking under the complexity of modern-day life.

The magic of The Sound of Language lies in its simplicity. It's a rather short, simple book that is easy to read. Unlike many other books that tackle the subject of Afghanistan under the Taliban, it is not difficult or painful. It deals with important and tricky issues such as race and prejudice but manages to maintain its innate sweetness - not sappy or roll-your-eyes-in-disgust sweet, but truly, genuinely sweet - like honey. Delightful, pure, golden honey. Simple and sweet.


Originally published on Curled Up With A Good Book