Readers can really sink their teeth into this meaty first novel. An engrossing coming-of-age story of a girl caught between two cultures, it also offers--with only the barest twinge of didacticism--an extraordinarily clear explanation of Hindu philosophy. Indian-born teen Sheila Mehta, who has grown up in London, no longer knows where she belongs. Her English boyfriend abruptly drops her after bringing her home to meet his mother; her best friend is sent to India for an arranged marriage to a stranger; and her younger sister is dressing punk and trying to pass for black. Sheila returns to her family's farm in Madhya Pradesh, where in the course of being initiated into the dissonant intricacies of modern Indian life, she realizes that, for better or worse, she is as much English as Indian. Although Rana peoples her novel with emblematic figures--philosophical Grandpa, downtrodden serving girl, intellectual poseur cousin--her keen sense of human nature and a sharp eye for detail keep these characters intriguing and fresh. An insightful look at a complex and vibrant culture. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Grade 9-12-- In this introspective coming-of-age novel, Sheila Mehta, 17, leaves England for her native India, seeking safety and security in the age-old traditions after her British boyfriend drops her. Feeling betrayed and hurt, she finds consolation in India's dull brown Roller Birds, which show brilliant ultramarine and turquoise colors when they fly. Her grandfather calls this show the color of adolescence, "between the brown security of childhood and the brown routines of adult life." She attempts to reconcile the two influences in her life, that she is Indian by birth and upbringing, but British in her thinking. Those wishing to understand Indian ways will be well rewarded here. As a novel, the book is less successful. It lacks a compelling plot, and the characters are merely mouthpieces for particular points of view. Briticisms are all defined in a glossary, but the Indian terms and slang (with one exception) are not. --Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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