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A review by memoryoflife
Inheritance by Balli Kaur Jaswal
challenging
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
5.0
I typically don't ascribe starred ratings to the texts I read as part of the various literature curriculums I'm studying, mainly due to the fact that I'm not voluntarily reading these books for leisure, but rather for academic reasons. It feels rather unfair to give a book I would not have otherwise ever touched a poor rating, simply because it wasn't my taste.
That being said, I do have to make exceptions for the books that do fit my taste. The ones that impress me, awe me; the stories that grip me with the same excitement and joy that I would derive from a book I pick up of my own accord. And Inheritance by Balli Kaur Jaswal fits that bill perfectly.
I'm not quite sure how to even describe this book. There is, on one hand, the nationalistic aspect of reading this; as someone who hails from Singapore myself, there were so many key elements of Inheritance I found myself nodding my head to. Regardless of whether I'd actually experienced it myself, or if it happened too far back in the past for me to even have existed yet, it's all so wholly familiar, etched in the history of the country, and perhaps still reflected here today. Narain's struggles, in particular, though undoubtedly much harsher in the pastgiven the raids enacted on suspicions of homosexuality and dissent at the time , are still reflected in the country today; although people have come around to tolerating the LGBTQ+ community, the possibility of equal rights seems like a distant dream, for a generation that will exist long after I am gone.
On the other hand, the theme of mental illness in this book hit way, way too close to home for me. I refuse to divulge too much information about my circumstances, butthe way that Amrit's undiagnosed mental condition, eventually revealed to be bipolar disorder, throws the entire family structure into utter disarray, with some of the characters needing to build their lives around hers (much to the guilt she feels, despite her inability to stop), feels so evocative of my own family issues. I thank the fact that it did not get as bad as it did for the characters in this book, but there's no doubt that Inheritance hit me in a deeply personal way.
Overall, just an utterly incredible book. I'm so glad I got the opportunity to read this, and I definitely long to check out Balli Kaur Jaswal's other books in the future!
[Read as part of my literature curriculum]
That being said, I do have to make exceptions for the books that do fit my taste. The ones that impress me, awe me; the stories that grip me with the same excitement and joy that I would derive from a book I pick up of my own accord. And Inheritance by Balli Kaur Jaswal fits that bill perfectly.
I'm not quite sure how to even describe this book. There is, on one hand, the nationalistic aspect of reading this; as someone who hails from Singapore myself, there were so many key elements of Inheritance I found myself nodding my head to. Regardless of whether I'd actually experienced it myself, or if it happened too far back in the past for me to even have existed yet, it's all so wholly familiar, etched in the history of the country, and perhaps still reflected here today. Narain's struggles, in particular, though undoubtedly much harsher in the past
On the other hand, the theme of mental illness in this book hit way, way too close to home for me. I refuse to divulge too much information about my circumstances, but
Overall, just an utterly incredible book. I'm so glad I got the opportunity to read this, and I definitely long to check out Balli Kaur Jaswal's other books in the future!
[Read as part of my literature curriculum]