The Inheritance Of Loss
Ratings26
Average rating3.3
In a crumbling, isolated house at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas lives an embittered judge who wants only to retire in peace, when his orphaned granddaughter, Sai, arrives on his doorstep. The judgeʼs cook watches over her distractedly, for his thoughts are often on his son, Biju, who is hopscotching from one gritty New York restaurant to another. Kiran Desaiʼs brilliant novel, published to huge acclaim, is a story of joy and despair. Her characters face numerous choices that majestically illuminate the consequences of colonialism as it collides with the modern world. Winner of 2006 Man Booker Prize.
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It seemed like Desai was hopping from one character to another, one timeline to another, one place to another more than her character Biju did from one NY restaurant to another. Which, if had been done better would have made it a gripping read- even with the sheer lack of a plot.
Desai is a beautiful writer in terms of descriptions and observations, but eventually the hodgepodge of her thoughts in an incredibly distracting writing style with overuse of lists as humor makes this book a boring read. Better leave it alone.
After hearing lots of disappointed buzz about this book, I set it aside for several weeks. Then, as the author reading approached, I picked it back up. I ended up liking it less than I'd initially hoped, but better than the buzz had indicated I might. The ending was perfect, one of the best endings I've ever read. And I'm so glad I went to the author reading in Houston. Both Desai and her mother, author Anita Desai, read from their works and then discussed their books. Both authors came across as lovely people and it's always nice to hear and meet lovely authors.
