A Breath of Fresh Air

Interesting read; I am a sucker for stories about sick kids and the depth of their mother's love (tho that isn't the main theme). Malladi presents the modern Hindu culture from the POV of a woman at 2 points in her life: young adult and mid-adult, and her progression from traditional expectations (even with her college education) of marriage/homemaker to independence. Their is some questioning of their marriage, by her husband, but there is enough else going on that this doesn't turn into the dragged-out mental rehash that makes me avoid "bad marriage" tales. I admire Anjali's strength and love for her husband, and understand the difficulty of putting up with her sister-in-law Komal's harping. Komal is a sharp contrast to Anjali, caught show more in the traditional mainstream role of widow's without children being worthless.
This book also points out the long-ranging effects of the Bhopal chemical disaster, which I hadn't realized and which make me ashamed of the American company, Union Carbide, which did so little for those affected. Anjali's decision to not participate in a class action suit was interesting.
201 review show less

I enjoyed this quick read book - the story of an Indian woman's relationships. You get a little peek into Indian life, the caste system, traditions, arranged marriages, etc. though it's secondary to the story which is of a divorced and remarried woman who unexpectedly encounters her ex. Long suppressed emotions kick in and you learn of her life, her ex-husband's and current husband's by way of flashbacks with chapters alternating character's perspectives. It's an effective technique for this book and I like the insights from each person's point of view. The key drama centers around the health issues of her son due to her exposure to the gas leak in Bhopal and the resultant relationship issues. It's a fairly lightweight relationship show more driven story but so well written, I found myself not wanting to put it down. Recommended show less

This book wasn't quite what I was expecting. It was mostly an Indian love story. But that doesn't mean I am discounting it. It was beautifully written and laid out. I liked how there was a bit of mystery to it. I loved how real the characters were. They were all very human. The author did a fantastic job of building the novella up.

I enjoyed very much the switching points of view so the reader was able to get a clear concise picture of what was happening, and not just who was initially perceived to be the main character, Anjali.

I also appreciated all of the Indian history that was thrown into the mix; The Bhopal Gas tragedy (which I honestly knew nothing about, but now thankfully I am reading up on) as well as Indira Ghandi's murder.

At show more first I thought I was going to be disappointed, but in the end I was not at all. Though I thought the ending was a bit lackluster. show less

This is a re-read for me. I read it a loooong time ago (17 years ago!) and loved it then. I loved it this time around, but a little more devastating this time as life experiences make us see things differently than we would as a 28 year old.

The story takes place in the India of 1980s and 90s. It’s a story of an Indian woman, Anjali, who is marked in two ways: she is a victim of Bhopal chemical explosion disaster, and she is divorced.
Anjali is divorced in a country which does not condone divorce, where women simply don’t get divorced, don’t ask for divorce, and don’t live on their own, in a country where even widows don’t marry again or live on their own. She does not live alone, though, she lives with her second husband and their son who, just like the children of Hiroshima disaster victims, is born with multiple problems and doesn’t have long to live.

This story wasn’t exactly what I expected it to be. I expected it perhaps to be much more investigative and show more critical of the politics and social structures, and it was to some extent, but it was mainly about personal and social relationships. The real strength came from the characters who had enough depth to make the story believable and emotionally engaging. I didn’t think much of the style or the narration. show less

I know this book is about Anjali's strength and courage as she survives unspeakable situations, but it depressed the hell out of me. This book was not a breath of fresh air, after all, even after the "happy" ending.