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| Image Credit: Anita Jain |
To concerned readers, my Ipod is alive and working again. I had to drag the dead beast over to another machine, flog it to life, and then it recovered. I watched it spring to life with something close to awe - if only we can 'restore' ourselves to our default settings too! How nice it would be if my soul can rewind and go back to being 3-years old, a time when you actually understand the world because you don't try so hard to? Restore SoulMuser. That should be the next Apple project.
Right, before I turn more readers off this blog with my ramblings, I read Anita Jain's rather revealingly refreshing memoir, ' Marrying Anita.' I was at my sister's house doing the above mentioned Restore on my Ipod on her computer when I saw this on her shelf. Although I was entranced with watching Itunes tell me that I have 45 minutes of downloading its software, I chose to waste my time reading. I picked it up thinking that it was a work of fiction. And later, after turning the book all over, found that it wasn't so. And for a memoir, it is surprisingly candid. Anita combines dry humor and sarcasm well in revealing a life that is often spun on sex, drugs and alcohol. All of which caused a lot of people to cry aghast at her possibly depraving 'Indian values.' But this is a book. A memoir. And we should review the book. Judgements of Anita's life and behavior are too easy to pass.
Suffice to say that I think it was courageous of her to write the way she did, provided that is really the life she has led. Anita is a young American-Indian. Sorry, not young. She is 32. Way too old by Indian standards. Not married. But trying hard. She comes to India to ostensibly find love. Get married is her parents' command. And Anita wants to obey. So hard. What we are then treated to are her romantic capers in Delhi. There are wry observations of the new India that had me chuckling. There are of course, a few who will take umbrage at this base portrayal of 'Indian culture.' I am not one of them. I have lived in India all my life, and I am yet to understand this country's so-called culture enough to give it a name. Marrying Anita is not really a memoir about arranged marriages though - I suspect that is just to attract Western readers. It captures a few months in the life of this woman - and a rather vivid and rare look into present-day India. It's a rather one-sided look, admittedly. I know a lot of Indians who do not drink or party every night. Or move in and out of casual relationships. Yet, there is an easy languid feel to the book. I was intrigued to find out who Anita really marries. And well, I was pleasantly surprised that she offers no easy resolutions.
For a memoir, it's an honest attempt. For that alone I would recommend this book. But please don't be fooled into thinking this is all India. It's just Anita's India.
Verdict: A very readable read.
Rating: 3/5
This sounds interesting as the market is a bit saturated with arranged marriages books. This one sounds refreshingly honest and a bit different.
ReplyDeleteA memoir? Looking at the cover I would definitely put it on my fiction shelf :) I have read my share of wedding books recently but may be some day when I want to read something different I'll give this book a try :)
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to think it's all India! LOL glad you are back I thought you have gone travelling so never question why you are not here. :) Glad this is a nice read. Especially an honest one.
ReplyDeleteNice review, Soul! Nice to know that you liked the book. I like the cover with the beautiful mehndi patterned hands. I checked Anita Jain's blog and it looks like she worked in Delhi as a journalist. It looks like she has used her Delhi experience to write this book. It has become a practice among journalists who live in another country to write a book based on their time there. It is either a personal memoir or a political / economic book about that country. I used to collect books like these before. But now I don't because most of the time they are predictable. In the case of some countries, one can even put down a formula and check that with the book and will get most of it right. Glad to know that you liked this book though, and found the ending surprising. I loved your observation - "I have lived in India all my life, and I am yet to understand this country's so-called culture enough to give it a name."
ReplyDelete@ Sam - Yes, this book was interesting. And surprised me really.
ReplyDelete@Shweta : It is quite a candid memoir! I haven't read any wedding books of late though, so I just wanted something light to read. This fit the bill perfectly
@JoV : India is too vast to fit into any perception. As indeed the world of literature, too, right?
@Vishy - Ever the investigative journalist :-P This book was not so formulaic , especially since it's non-fiction! Try it. You may surprise yourself, just like I did!