Sunday, August 13, 2006
Sister of My Heart
by Chitra Banerjee Divakari
Another excellent book.
This beautifully written book is the story of two young women who are born on the same day, in the same home, to newly widowed mothers. The women are cousins, but grow up with a bond that makes them linked like sisters. The two have very different lives, as Anju, the witty and smart one, is truly a member of the Chaterjee family(a family of wealth and privilege), where as Sudha, the beautiful one, is a distant cousin. The story of how Sudha came to be, and who her father really is, is one of the many sub-stories that weaves its way into this intricately developed book.
This book is about love, relationships, and about the fragility of life. It is also about things not always being what they seem. For Anju and Sudha are both forced to enter into arranged marriages. Poor Sudha's heart belongs to a man she met only once but was instantly drawn to, as he was to her. And the man she is led to marry answers none of her prayers. He is tied to his mother whom Sudha is never able to please. That story develops in ways I do not want to give away, but Sudha's character is one of strength and conviction.
Anju is set with a man who she is instantly taken by, and at first he is taken by her, until he meets Sudha. He lives in America, and in time Anju leaves India to become an American wife as well. The complexities of the relationship between Anju and her husband Sunil are never quite revealed, leaving the reader to imagine what is truly going on. However, the tension is obvious, and Anju always remembers the way Sunil looked at her cousin with longing.
Years pass and so do experiences, and Anju and Sudha do not share how they truly feel through letters or phone conversations until finally Anju truly needs her. Sudha's marriage does not quite go as planned, and he life takes unexpected twists and turns. As does Anju's. Ultimately leading them back into each other's arms and hearts.
Another excellent book.
This beautifully written book is the story of two young women who are born on the same day, in the same home, to newly widowed mothers. The women are cousins, but grow up with a bond that makes them linked like sisters. The two have very different lives, as Anju, the witty and smart one, is truly a member of the Chaterjee family(a family of wealth and privilege), where as Sudha, the beautiful one, is a distant cousin. The story of how Sudha came to be, and who her father really is, is one of the many sub-stories that weaves its way into this intricately developed book.
This book is about love, relationships, and about the fragility of life. It is also about things not always being what they seem. For Anju and Sudha are both forced to enter into arranged marriages. Poor Sudha's heart belongs to a man she met only once but was instantly drawn to, as he was to her. And the man she is led to marry answers none of her prayers. He is tied to his mother whom Sudha is never able to please. That story develops in ways I do not want to give away, but Sudha's character is one of strength and conviction.
Anju is set with a man who she is instantly taken by, and at first he is taken by her, until he meets Sudha. He lives in America, and in time Anju leaves India to become an American wife as well. The complexities of the relationship between Anju and her husband Sunil are never quite revealed, leaving the reader to imagine what is truly going on. However, the tension is obvious, and Anju always remembers the way Sunil looked at her cousin with longing.
Years pass and so do experiences, and Anju and Sudha do not share how they truly feel through letters or phone conversations until finally Anju truly needs her. Sudha's marriage does not quite go as planned, and he life takes unexpected twists and turns. As does Anju's. Ultimately leading them back into each other's arms and hearts.
# posted by Gina @ 2:38 PM 
