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A review by the_moody_marshmallow
Clear Light of Day by Anita Desai
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Nostalgia for a time I have never lived in. Another story set in the backdrop of partition, where partition truly remains just that - a backdrop (for the most part). It surprises me as to how relevant I found this book to people and relationships (of many kinds) for today's time. Clear Light Of Day is about four siblings - Bimla, Raja, Tara and Baba - dealing with conflict within, with each other and with the outside world.
It starts with Tara and her husband Bakul visiting her family home in Delhi which is now only occupied by her older sister (Bimla) and younger brother (Baba). Tara who is glad to be back home is also guilty for not being there for Bimla as she cares for Bakul who is autistic and their late aunt Mira who suffered from alcoholism. Bimla and Raja who were inseparable through their childhood, don’t talk to each other anymore. Bimla even refuses to attend his daughter’s wedding. Old skeletons are brought out as the story moves from present to past to present again, and each sibling looks back on the choices they’ve made, realising that what each thought they wanted probably wasn’t it. Especially, the two sisters. A story about a family coming together through scattered memories and bittersweet epiphanies.
What I particularly loved about this book were the character descriptions and arcs. Though I wish I could've gotten a deeper understanding of characters like Baba and Bakul, I loved the the way Anita Desai has fleshed out her female characters as well as Raja and Dr. Biswas. Bimla and Tara's relationship is an interesting one as each of them admires and envies the other but also come to realise that they are not that different from the other. I found myself relating most to Bimla and seeing a younger me within Tara. I also found myself comparing characters from the book to people I know in real life haha.
Anita Desai's style of writing is slow and beautiful yet the kind that teases. There are pages which are written in stunning language as she describes every single aspect in a scene almost like she really wants you to feel like you're in that world with her characters. It can be painfully slow sometimes. Then, she'll grab you with the tiniest detail and quicken pace like a summer storm before going back into a lull.
I recommend this book if you're someone who enjoys exhaustively descriptive writing and character driven stories. A book that will demand you to savour and absorb each and every word.
It starts with Tara and her husband Bakul visiting her family home in Delhi which is now only occupied by her older sister (Bimla) and younger brother (Baba). Tara who is glad to be back home is also guilty for not being there for Bimla as she cares for Bakul who is autistic and their late aunt Mira who suffered from alcoholism. Bimla and Raja who were inseparable through their childhood, don’t talk to each other anymore. Bimla even refuses to attend his daughter’s wedding. Old skeletons are brought out as the story moves from present to past to present again, and each sibling looks back on the choices they’ve made, realising that what each thought they wanted probably wasn’t it. Especially, the two sisters. A story about a family coming together through scattered memories and bittersweet epiphanies.
What I particularly loved about this book were the character descriptions and arcs. Though I wish I could've gotten a deeper understanding of characters like Baba and Bakul, I loved the the way Anita Desai has fleshed out her female characters as well as Raja and Dr. Biswas. Bimla and Tara's relationship is an interesting one as each of them admires and envies the other but also come to realise that they are not that different from the other. I found myself relating most to Bimla and seeing a younger me within Tara. I also found myself comparing characters from the book to people I know in real life haha.
Anita Desai's style of writing is slow and beautiful yet the kind that teases. There are pages which are written in stunning language as she describes every single aspect in a scene almost like she really wants you to feel like you're in that world with her characters. It can be painfully slow sometimes. Then, she'll grab you with the tiniest detail and quicken pace like a summer storm before going back into a lull.
I recommend this book if you're someone who enjoys exhaustively descriptive writing and character driven stories. A book that will demand you to savour and absorb each and every word.