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Loading... The Two Krishnas (2011)by Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla
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In the tradition of A Fine Balance and The Namesake, The Two Krishnas is a sensual and searing look at infidelity and the nature of desire and faith. At the center of the novel is Pooja Kapoor, a betrayed wife and mother who is forced to question her faith and marriage when she discovers her banker husband, Rahul, has fallen in love with a young, male Muslim illegal immigrant who happens to be their son's age. Faced with the potential of losing faith in Rahul, divine intervention, and family, she is forced to confront painful truths about the past and the duality in God and husband. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Overall, the story in Two Krishnas was compelling. I appreciated the relevant sociological threads about Hindus and Muslims that are woven in throughout the book. The non-English words and ideas were intelligently handled, respecting this reader’s ability to understand the context; or these words/concepts were explained but not gratuitously. Importantly, such words and concepts added to the texture of the book and its characters.
I had problems with some elements which were stereotypical and cliches. These included: Atif’s childhood experiences, and specifically, his family dynamics with male figures (his father and his uncle); Atif being the younger lover (and passive) to the older Rahul; the husband who betrays his wife; Pooja as the distraught and overly-dependent wife who learns of her husband’s straying; and the overwrought and devastating ending.
The lengthier background pieces about Kenya did seem superfluous. Also, I often wondered if knowing about the author’s Hollywood experience (from the inner book cover) influenced how I viewed this book – it seemed constructed to suit a movie. I found some passages to be very slick and too dramatic.
The upshot: This book was rewarding and engaging. I would read 10 of this book before merely considering any LGBT-themed book with solely white characters or with curry or rice queens vis a vis potato queens.
Please, please, Dhalla, be working on your next book.
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