Book Review: The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

The third book that I am going to review is The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai. This comes under the category of Diasporic Fiction and has the backdrop of Darjeeling and the beautiful peaks of Kanchenjunga. It also tells the story of the Gorkhaland movement in which a lot of violence and bloodshed was perpetrated.

So, coming to the novel. The main characters of this novel are Sai, Judge, Mutt, the cook, Biju, Sai's parents Mr and Mrs Mistry, Bose, Lola and Noni, Father Booty, Uncle Potty and Gyan. The book is a parallel view of the lives of Sai and Biju. While Sai lives with her maternal grandfather in Kalimpong, Biju is a wanderer in New York as he keeps switching jobs now and then. Sai is a shy girl and has a limited social circle. She gets upset whenever she remembers her parents. Their tragic story will be revealed to the reader as he/she goes on reading. She likes Western culture just like her grandfather and despises Indian culture and people. Her grandfather, the Judge, whose name is Jemubhai Popatlal Patel is also a strong follower and supporter of English culture and values.

The story thus continues on like this. On the one hand, we see Sai interacting with her neighbours such as Uncle Potty, Father Booty, Lola and Noni, we also see Biju spending time with Saeed Saeed and other Indian, African and other ex-pats in New York. He carves a special bond with Saeed, as the reader will come to know in the pages of this novel.

The main thing about this book is that the author has wonderfully captured the beauty of Kalimpong in just 300 pages. I felt as if I was there myself looking at the surreal peaks of the Kanchenjunga mountains and enjoying their golden glow in the sun. I was able to feel the house of Sai and the Judge on Cho Oyu, Lola and Noni's Mon Ami and the busy marketplace of Kalimpong. I was also able to get a feel of Biju's New York where he worked under unhygienic conditions and the dull, drab life that he leads in the city.

Readers will also get a glimpse of Sai and Gyan's short romance in the novel. The novel also features the Gorkhaland movement of the 1980s. This movement was a bloody and violent movement in which the Gorkhas started demanding their separate state after taking inspiration from Punjab where the fight was on for the creation of Khalistan. It took mammoth efforts from the government's side to clamp down on both of these movements. In the novel, the reader will read and experience the disasters this particular movement caused in Kalimpong. Continuous strikes and curfew situations were imposed on the people. The characters of the novel become highly disturbed by this movement and want it to end as quickly as possible so that they can rest at peace.

In the end, the reader will also come to know of Biju's imminent plans of return from New York and his reunion with his father. The last chapter will surely move hearts and make the atmosphere emotional.

Thus, this novel has the power to move and also provide seamless and beautiful views of Darjeeling and more specifically of Kalimpong. I have been to Darjeeling when I was quite young but I enjoyed the trip. My most cherished memory of that trip is the yak ride. I had a lot of fun with my family in Darjeeling, experiencing the high tea in the evenings. I also liked my visit to the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park where I saw the cute Red Panda and instantly loved it. We all went to Tiger Hill where I almost cried as it was bone-chilling and numbing cold there. It was a good trip and it will forever be with me in my memory. So, I hope that you'll like reading this novel.

Link- The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (International Readers)

https://www.amazon.com/Inheritance-Loss-Kiran-Desai/dp/0802142818/ref=sr_1_1?crid=12SZLNTEDSBHQ&keywords=the+inheritance+of+loss&qid=1639281449&sprefix=the+inheritance+of+l%2Caps%2C380&sr=8-1

Link- The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (Indian Readers)

https://www.amazon.in/Inheritance-Loss-Kiran-Desai/dp/0143423908/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2I893MF6OH0AL&keywords=the+inheritance+of+loss+kiran+desai&qid=1639281526&sprefix=the+inheri%2Caps%2C286&sr=8-1