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A review by bookph1le
The Windfall by Diksha Basu
3.0
Really cute, often funny and sharply observant, I thought the ending was kind of a letdown. Complete review to come.
Full review:
The Windfall gave me an interesting cultural window into modern, upper class India by exploring what happens to one family that comes into a large sum of money. In many ways, the struggles and foibles described here are very familiar because they're so close to what happens in Western nations. This makes the book relatable and almost universal. For the most part, the book sparkles with wit and humor, but I found the conclusion to be a letdown. Some spoilers to follow.
The book is told in shifting viewpoints, which allows for a broader picture of the various players and their personal struggles. Since I enjoyed reading about pretty much every character, I liked this insight, but I think it might hinder the narrative if you're not a fan of one or more of the characters. Another nice feature of this constant shift, though, is the reader gets to see what a character thinks another character is thinking, only to find out that the speculation bears no resemblance to the reality. It also allows the reader to see where various characters are more critical of themselves or suffering from self-consciousness about things other characters might not care about at all. I liked this aspect, because it's a well known phenomena that we all think people think about us a lot more than they actually do.
I think my favorite character and storyline was Reema Ray, and it was also the one where I found more cultural variance. Having lost her husband at a young age, Reema struggles with what she wants out of her life, especially since it's a life she hadn't at all envisioned when she had married. She worries a lot about what other characters will think of her if she dates or makes changes to her life, but she feels trapped in her circumstances, stuck in a kind of limbo she fears she won't escape. Her longing was very visceral. My one disappointment with her character arc was with regard to her servant. In many ways, her servant is her best friend and the person she most relies on, but once Reema's romance gets going, the servant is more or less thrown by the wayside. I wish the author would have explored this aspect more, because it would have been interesting to see how such a relationship would play out, especially in a caste society like India's. Still, I did enjoy her romantic subplot, and I liked watching her reach for things she didn't think she'd have the courage to reach for.
I also really liked Mr. Jha, though I found his arc somewhat disappointing as well. Though he's a man who's achieved a great deal, he suffers from a pretty severe form of imposter syndrome, and that made him easy to relate to. He's grateful for his good fortune, but for some reason doesn't feel like he's earned it, and though his wife also feels like a fish out of water, I thought he floundered even more because he seemed to really lose his way. Even though he should have been able to rest content with what he's achieved, he becomes trapped in keeping up with the Joneses, wanting to fit in in his new neighborhood, even though he derives no satisfaction from it. The problem is, his arc is never satisfactorily resolved, and I really wanted him to reach a point where he realized who he was and what he wanted instead of feeling like he ended up losing himself.
My biggest problem with the book is that, after having established all these characters and their struggles, the book brings their stories to a hasty end, particularly when it comes to the Jha family. For me, this was the most jarring with regard to Mrs. Jha and Rupak, their son. After struggling throughout the book with feeling like she doesn't fit in and suffering sickness for her old neighborhood, Mrs. Jha does an about face that felt far too abrupt to me, especially when considering how she reacted to her evening at the club. Worse yet is the son, Rupak, who spends the entire novel flailing and generally being a stunted man boy, only to end up reaching a decision that didn't entirely ring true, given how cavalier he is about the subject throughout the rest of the novel. This gave the book a rushed feeling for me, so that instead of a payoff, I felt like the author was hurrying to close things out because she only had a few pages left. Had this been a more even read, I would have given it a higher score. I think this author has a lot of potential, and hopefully her next book won't tie everything up so neatly with such a hasty bow.
Full review:
The Windfall gave me an interesting cultural window into modern, upper class India by exploring what happens to one family that comes into a large sum of money. In many ways, the struggles and foibles described here are very familiar because they're so close to what happens in Western nations. This makes the book relatable and almost universal. For the most part, the book sparkles with wit and humor, but I found the conclusion to be a letdown. Some spoilers to follow.
The book is told in shifting viewpoints, which allows for a broader picture of the various players and their personal struggles. Since I enjoyed reading about pretty much every character, I liked this insight, but I think it might hinder the narrative if you're not a fan of one or more of the characters. Another nice feature of this constant shift, though, is the reader gets to see what a character thinks another character is thinking, only to find out that the speculation bears no resemblance to the reality. It also allows the reader to see where various characters are more critical of themselves or suffering from self-consciousness about things other characters might not care about at all. I liked this aspect, because it's a well known phenomena that we all think people think about us a lot more than they actually do.
I think my favorite character and storyline was Reema Ray, and it was also the one where I found more cultural variance. Having lost her husband at a young age, Reema struggles with what she wants out of her life, especially since it's a life she hadn't at all envisioned when she had married. She worries a lot about what other characters will think of her if she dates or makes changes to her life, but she feels trapped in her circumstances, stuck in a kind of limbo she fears she won't escape. Her longing was very visceral. My one disappointment with her character arc was with regard to her servant. In many ways, her servant is her best friend and the person she most relies on, but once Reema's romance gets going, the servant is more or less thrown by the wayside. I wish the author would have explored this aspect more, because it would have been interesting to see how such a relationship would play out, especially in a caste society like India's. Still, I did enjoy her romantic subplot, and I liked watching her reach for things she didn't think she'd have the courage to reach for.
I also really liked Mr. Jha, though I found his arc somewhat disappointing as well. Though he's a man who's achieved a great deal, he suffers from a pretty severe form of imposter syndrome, and that made him easy to relate to. He's grateful for his good fortune, but for some reason doesn't feel like he's earned it, and though his wife also feels like a fish out of water, I thought he floundered even more because he seemed to really lose his way. Even though he should have been able to rest content with what he's achieved, he becomes trapped in keeping up with the Joneses, wanting to fit in in his new neighborhood, even though he derives no satisfaction from it. The problem is, his arc is never satisfactorily resolved, and I really wanted him to reach a point where he realized who he was and what he wanted instead of feeling like he ended up losing himself.
My biggest problem with the book is that, after having established all these characters and their struggles, the book brings their stories to a hasty end, particularly when it comes to the Jha family. For me, this was the most jarring with regard to Mrs. Jha and Rupak, their son. After struggling throughout the book with feeling like she doesn't fit in and suffering sickness for her old neighborhood, Mrs. Jha does an about face that felt far too abrupt to me, especially when considering how she reacted to her evening at the club. Worse yet is the son, Rupak, who spends the entire novel flailing and generally being a stunted man boy, only to end up reaching a decision that didn't entirely ring true, given how cavalier he is about the subject throughout the rest of the novel. This gave the book a rushed feeling for me, so that instead of a payoff, I felt like the author was hurrying to close things out because she only had a few pages left. Had this been a more even read, I would have given it a higher score. I think this author has a lot of potential, and hopefully her next book won't tie everything up so neatly with such a hasty bow.