The Inheritance of Loss
by Kiran Desai

Book cover and details mph

Started reading 25 Nov 2006
Finished reading 26 Dec 2006

Difficult to put down once the plot thickens. The premise is quite simple. Friendship between two unlikely couple that blossoms into love. There is also the grandfather, a retired judge, who still lives as if he was in his prime. The young couple face challenges that are a product of the historical make-up of their country. The opposite forces that put them together are also the same forces that pull them apart.

Parallel to this love episode between the two main characters, we also have a son torn between loyalty to the motherland and the pull of a better life in good old USA. The land of milk and honey is not all that it is touted to be. There are trials and tribulations awaiting those who are fool hardy to try their luck there. Some do make it to the top but there are countless others who fall on the wayside.

The juxtaposition between the two stories is vivid and in the end, the historical baggage is thrown away, for better or worse.