In One Word: Reality
A Beautiful Sentence: “You never put sacred words where somebody could trample on them., his father had shouted.”
The Plot: This story follows a Punjabi family living in Singapore during its transition to independence. They face challenges like mental health, societal expectations, and cultural shifts. Themes of identity, tradition, and belonging run through their journey as they navigate an evolving nation.
It seems nowadays that we are all constantly talking about mental heath and how important it is. But reading this book, I felt that it pointed to an undeniable truth. Mental Health does remain a stigma and an embarrassment for so many. Take Amrit in this story. What if she had received help at the first sign? I felt sad watching her life fall apart as she struggled to find the strength to move forward.
The book also shows how much focus society places on things that shouldn’t matter. Take Narain who is gay. It’s heartbreaking to see him unable to live as he wants because society doesn’t accept him. But also his own family. It was, for me, the most important point in this novel. Acceptacne for who we are, acceptance for others.
But there’s more. The story touches on something so recognizable: the frustration of not getting what you want. It’s a reminder of how harsh inheritance can be. Watching the wife of the third brother, Gurdev, repeatedly ask: “What will people think?” and worry about her kids’ potential marriage prospectives while they are still young hit close to home. What are the societal expectations we pass on to the next generation?
This is a dark read. It doesn’t leave you happy, but it does make you think. It forces you to reflect on things we impose on our kids and what we want to give them. Do we focus on our feelings of inadequacy, or do we prioritize being there to help them when they need us?
Takeaway:
An interesting read that makes you question about your own expectations and those of people around you.