One Amazing Thing

“One Amazing Thing” by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is a brilliant novel well thought out and well executed. I found myself captivated by the very first pages. I truly got caught up in the drama of being involved in an earthquake. I felt as if I was trapped in the building with them. I was anxious and nervous with each passing page fearing that the next page would surely take the characters all away.

Speaking of the characters, I loved each one of them. I really enjoyed the writing style of having each person speak for themselves while they told their stories. Each story was very intimate and gave me the opportunity to really know the character. I didn’t discover a favorite, rather I appreciated the importance of each person’s show more story and why it was the story they chose to relate. Everyone had so much to share and everyone grew closer with the telling.

This book will stay with me for some time. I will be thinking and rethinking about each of the characters and the circumstances of their stories. “One Amazing Thing” makes the reader realize that we should never be quick to judge another because each of us has secret longings, desires and regrets that ultimately govern who we are and how we conduct ourselves. What we see is often not all there is. It is the sharing and the telling that sets us free and brings us closer to those we love and cherish. show less

3.5***

When an earthquake strikes, nine people are trapped in the basement of the Indian consulate: an upper-class Caucasian couple with a troubled marriage, a young Muslim-American man with a tendency to act rashly, a graduate student whose parents have returned to India, an African-American Vietnam veteran, a Chinese grandmother with a secret along with her punk-rock teenage granddaughter, and two visa office workers.

I was immediately caught up in the “present day” story of these nine people trapped in a basement. I liked the way that the author revealed their strengths and weaknesses as they acted / reacted to the situation. Who was selfish, or brave, or took charge, or retreated. But when Uma suggests that they pass the time by show more each telling “one amazing thing” from his/her life, the story arc lost some momentum, and it became more of a collection of short stories.

I don’t mind this too much, because I love short stories, and Divakaruni writes them well. However, this sort of hybrid between a short story collection and a novel seemed a little awkward. I was enthralled and interested in both the story of nine people trapped by the earthquake, and in the characters back stories. What each chose to reveal to these strangers, while fearing they would die together, told much about them as individuals. I have to admit it made me wonder what episode of my life I would tell in such circumstances.

One final note: the city in the book is unnamed, but apparently San Francisco. There are references to cable cars and being “by the bay.” Additionally, there IS an Indian consulate (where one would go for a visa) in San Francisco. And, of course, it is a city with a history of earthquakes. show less

ONE AMAZING THING is a slim novel that packs an emotional punch in an engrossing and easy-to-read style. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has fashioned an imaginative way to create what are, in essence, short stories, and has unified them by forcing her characters together in an extreme situation. The main action takes place within the basement walls of a visa office in an unnamed city as the various characters plan trips to India. When an earthquake strikes they are literally thrown together and must pool their resources, both physical and emotional, in order to increase their chances of survival.

Army veteran Cameron springs into action first and we later learn that his life is a constant attempt to assuage guilt. Office workers Malathi show more and Mangalam are caught in their flirtatious web. Angry Tariq, still reeling from 9/11, feels persecuted and strikes out. Stuffy, upper-crust Mr. Pritchett tries to sneak a cigarette despite the leaking gas, and depressed Mrs. Pritchett wants her little pills back. Grandmother Jiang and feisty granddaughter Lily each have hidden secrets. It’s Chaucer-reading Uma, inspired by the tales of the Wife of Bath, who thinks to distract the group by prodding them to reveal one amazing thing from their life.

At first they are all thankful for surviving the initial jolt, but as they remain stranded while the ceiling sags, water begins to flood the floor, and an aftershock brings more devastation, they decide to distract themselves by each sharing a memory from their diverse lives. These moments are really life stories that prove that we are not so very different from each other as first impressions may indicate. Some stories stand out as more poignant and compelling than others, but overall it’s fun to think that book groups might be inspired to share their own amazing moments after reading ONE AMAZING THING. show less

A group of people are trapped in a building after an earthquake and to distract themselves from seems like inevitable doom, they start telling each other one amazing thing that's happened in their lives. And naturally, most of the amazing things are really crappy. However, Divakaruni writes sympathetically and movingly, not letting the reader get dragged down by heavy stories. Really enjoyable, even with the occasional cliche or stereotype.

I finished this book the day after the news about the Haiti earthquake hit the airwaves. This true-life event made the situation faced by the nine characters within the book that much more realistic and dangerous. One never knows what one will face in life, and these characters hammer that point home from the first moment of introduction.

There is a lot of action in this book, even though it does not appear so on the surface. The main characters do nothing but sit around for the majority of the novel. The beauty of the story is the fact that the action lies in the minds and hearts of each survivor, from their initial impressions of their fellow human beings to their individual stories and motivation for going to India to their shift in show more feelings towards each other by the end. It is a very intimate type of action.

The individual stories themselves are profound in their revelations about mankind. That grandmotherly-type who always insists on following the rules may not have felt that way before. The housewife who has it all may in fact be missing something essential. Some of the stories were predictable, while others were completely shocking in what the character experienced. And yet all showed that to judge a person based on initial impressions is not only dangerous but ignorant because a person is more than just an outwardly appearance. In a way, Ms. Divakaruni is emphasizing the idea of empathy and showcasing how difficult it is to to achieve when we do not take the time to get to know one another. Yet empathy is what brings mankind together.

Ms. Divakaruni gives the reader much food for thought as one survivor after another shares their most amazing story. The seriousness of their situation sitting in the basement of an earthquake-damaged building takes a backseat to these stories, which appears to be the point. Life is defined by how we each react in times of crisis and emotional upheaval, and the stories shared prove that.

This is one of those books where each reader will take something just a bit different away from reading it. Some might not like the disjointed feeling of the overall narrative as each character shares his or her story. Personally, I feel that the earthquake is just a plot device to contain each character and the backdrop in which each person shares their innermost secret with the others. Overall, it is a beautifully written piece about the significance of humanity.

This tiny book contains quite a bit between its covers. From the danger of first impressions to the realization that we are all connected in this world, One Amazing Thing lives up to its name. Thank you to Hyperion Books for my Advanced Reading Copy. show less

Set aside a few hours for this novella, because once you start, it's impossible to put it down. I love a story that makes you forget the outside world as you fall into it, and that's what happens with "One Amazing Thing."

It's the story of several people who are caught together in an Indian visa office, somewhere in the United States, in the aftermath of a sudden earthquake. The characters represent the fabric of America, as they come from different socioeconomic, ethnic and age groups. It's a beautiful exploration of who people really are beyond the surface. As the story begins, it's easy for the reader-- and other characters-- to make assumptions about the characters based on their behavior in the office.

As time wears on and the people show more in the office, trapped with a dwindling supply of food and water, begin to panic, one of them has the idea that they should each share a story from their life-- "one amazing thing." As the stories unfold, the masks fall away and even spouses are surprised to learn things about each other that they never realized. The characters become completely honest and real in ways that people sometimes only can in life or death situations.

The story moves back and forth between the characters' stories and the present situation in the office. As they struggle to survive the tension builds. They must put aside individual needs for the common good, and trust their lives to strangers. The result of this perfectly balanced story is like a literary symphony; it builds, swells to a taut crescendo, and leaves you haunted by the last echoing strains of the tale. As they struggle with whether to fight for survival or resign themselves to dying in the rubble, the stories provide both a distraction and a reason to keep going. The writing is captivating and makes you see, hear and experience just as though you're there with the survivors. It's impossible not to get drawn in. Very highly recommended. show less

This book was short and simple but strangely gripping. Organized like Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and just as poignantly unfinished, this novel is not easy to put down or forget. The language is direct and cuts each character into sharp relief. It's not as uplifting as advertised on the back cover, but it's very real and human.