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A review by bent
East Into Upper East: Plain Tales from New York and New Delhi by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
3.0
I'm giving this a three, although at times I thought it was more of a two, and now I'm not sure if it shouldn't be a four. These are very dense, complicated stories, dealing with human relationships and human needs, and the sacrifices we are willing to make to get what we need. The book is divided into two parts - East and Upper East. The East stories are all set in India and involve mostly Indians, and the Upper East are set mostly in New York and involve mostly Americans or European immigrants, although there is an English protagonist in a story in the first part, and an Indian major character in the story in the second.
The East stories I found held my interest but I didn't become emotionally invested. The Upper East stories I found fascinating - "The Temptress", "Two Muses" and frustrating - "Summer by the Sea", "Great Expectations". There is a constant exchange in these stories - people giving money or shelter in exchange for companionship, people devoting themselves to others with little more return then that they are needed. Most marriages are broken, most women are raising children with nominal assistance from their exes. There are recurring themes of people marrying above themselves or below themselves, marrying people of a higher or lower class, usually ending disastrously. People making compromises with themselves in order to accommodate companions - aunts, spouses, children, partner's children. No relationships are easy or happen in a vacuum.
It's not an easy book and I often found myself frustrated with the characters, but there is a lot going on and in the end, I felt that I was better off for having read it.
The East stories I found held my interest but I didn't become emotionally invested. The Upper East stories I found fascinating - "The Temptress", "Two Muses" and frustrating - "Summer by the Sea", "Great Expectations". There is a constant exchange in these stories - people giving money or shelter in exchange for companionship, people devoting themselves to others with little more return then that they are needed. Most marriages are broken, most women are raising children with nominal assistance from their exes. There are recurring themes of people marrying above themselves or below themselves, marrying people of a higher or lower class, usually ending disastrously. People making compromises with themselves in order to accommodate companions - aunts, spouses, children, partner's children. No relationships are easy or happen in a vacuum.
It's not an easy book and I often found myself frustrated with the characters, but there is a lot going on and in the end, I felt that I was better off for having read it.