A review by serendipitysbooks
Inheritance by Balli Kaur Jaswal

emotional reflective medium-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? Yes

3.75

 Inheritance is the story of a Sikh family living in Singapore. There are plenty of the normal family dramas like sibling rivalry, parental pressure, rebellious teenagers, and grief. The story really hones in on two issues - homophobia and mental illness. I liked the way this story unfolded over three time periods, each roughly seven years apart and how it was told from the perspective of multiple family members. I really enjoyed the way the family’s story played out against the background of Singapore’s history, something I was fairly ignorant of barring some events in World War II. We saw it’s begin as a relatively new independent nation, undergo a period of major modernisation and development, implement some demanding and punitive social practices and policies, and develop a national identity. 
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