Book: A Matter of Time
Author: Shashi Deshpande
Pages: 269
How Long it Took Me to Read: 2 days
Plot Summary: One morning, with no warning, Gopal -- respected professor, devoted husband, and caring father -- walks out on his family for reasons even he cannot articulate. His wife, Sumi, returns with their three daughters to the shelter of the Big House where her parents, Kalyani and Shripati, live in oppressive silence: they have not spoken to each other in thirty-five years.
As the mystery of this long silence is unraveled, a horrifying story of suffering and loss is laid bare, a story that seems to be repeating itself in Sumi's life.Set in present day Karnataka, A Matter of Time explores the intricate relationships within an extended family encompassing three generations. Images from Hindu religion, myth, and local history twine delicately with images of contemporary India as this family faces and accepts the changes that have suddenly become part of their lives. As their secrets and strengths are revealed, so are the complications of family and culture. This multi-generational story, told in the individual voices of the characters, catches each in turn in the cycles of love, loss, strength, and renewal that become an essential part of their identities.
General Thoughts and Review:
I hadn't read a Shashi Deshpande book in ages. Well, since college when The Binding Vine was a part of my second year course work. It was good book but an immensely sad one. To be honest, most of Deshpande's writing comes with a side of sadness. Her wonderfully written books have a deep sense of intense pain and feelings and inherent tragedy. Not that it takes away from her greatness of her work. And studying her book made me want to take some time apart from her work.
For the last few years, I've wanted to read some more of her writing.
I ordered 2 of her books this month on Flipkart.
I read this one first. And plan to read A Long Silence soon.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the writing- I knew I would. I also really enjoyed reading about this family in complete and utter chaos. A father abandons his family for no good reason and no real explanation and they are left to grapple with it's aftermath. Apart from hurt feelings and feelings of abandonment, the 3 girls and their mother need to plan for their future and try to understand why their family has fallen apart. I LOVE messed up families! I really do. Give me a dysfunctional family I am all in. Happy families are great but a family in crisis makes for very interesting reading. I loved this families mess and how they dealt and raged against it.
I love all the women in this book. Strong, silent, wise and a delight to read! I loved them all. The mother and her 3 daughters were great but their grand-mother and her cousin sister were so wonderful. I am partial to older strong women characters and these women were fantastic. Their stories and their struggles but more importantly their love and bond was just lovely!
The story moves along in a nice pace and never lost interest in the story or the big (slightly) mystery.
I enjoyed this book and I am glad I decided to read more of Deshpande's work.
Rating: 5/5
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