Review on Fasting,Feasting
Fasting, Feasting is a cross-cultural blend of Indian and western culture, by Anita Desai. Though very few Indian writers are internationally acclaimed, but this book was able to mark its presence in the finalist at booker prize.
Fasting, Feasting is set in two entirely different and extreme backdrops. First part takes you through a life of a young Girl Uma , from a small town middleclass family in India . She is always overruled by her conservative father from her childhood to adulthood and also by her so called fate. Her feelings are beautifully portrayed by the writer, through characters like, her widow Mira Massi or her alcoholic cousin Ramu .Writer has brilliantly used these characters to display the inner conscious and desire of Uma. While Aruna and their neighbor display the mindset of a girl, who wants freedom and power. Thus first-part talks about Uma’s life and second part takes you far in America, where Arun, the younger brother of Uma, who is also the epicenter of her family, has come to study (which is his father dream, not Arun's). This half of the story is set in the westernized culture of Patton family in America. Anita Desai has brightly described the mind set of an Indian boy in the form of Arun, who is like an alien in this western land. He is surprised, shocked and learning while staying as a guest in Patton’s family.He sees,how the young girl of Patton family is starving for the attention from her mother.And her mother far from her need ,is engaged in dumping grocery in fridge to taking sun-bath....
Thus, the book is all about the human emotions and desire; which one always takes lightly becomes the necessity or you can say need of other. The overprotective and dictating environment, which is burden for Uma becomes desire for somebody else.
Fasting, Feasting is set in two entirely different and extreme backdrops. First part takes you through a life of a young Girl Uma , from a small town middleclass family in India . She is always overruled by her conservative father from her childhood to adulthood and also by her so called fate. Her feelings are beautifully portrayed by the writer, through characters like, her widow Mira Massi or her alcoholic cousin Ramu .Writer has brilliantly used these characters to display the inner conscious and desire of Uma. While Aruna and their neighbor display the mindset of a girl, who wants freedom and power. Thus first-part talks about Uma’s life and second part takes you far in America, where Arun, the younger brother of Uma, who is also the epicenter of her family, has come to study (which is his father dream, not Arun's). This half of the story is set in the westernized culture of Patton family in America. Anita Desai has brightly described the mind set of an Indian boy in the form of Arun, who is like an alien in this western land. He is surprised, shocked and learning while staying as a guest in Patton’s family.He sees,how the young girl of Patton family is starving for the attention from her mother.And her mother far from her need ,is engaged in dumping grocery in fridge to taking sun-bath....
Thus, the book is all about the human emotions and desire; which one always takes lightly becomes the necessity or you can say need of other. The overprotective and dictating environment, which is burden for Uma becomes desire for somebody else.
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