Paddy Indian

by Cauvery Madhavan

Humorous and thoughtful, this fish-out-of-water tale follows an Indian immigrant in Ireland. The migrant, a young doctor from an extremely wealthy and western medical family from Madras, arrives in Ireland with high hopes. When he joins a Dublin hospital on a fellowship, he discovers that, to many, he is just another "foreign doctor." His stories of acclimation speak of identity, belonging, and the home (and meals) the young man left behind in this insightful but lighthearted novel.

Genres: India

238 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely cross-cultural tale of a young Indian doctor coming to Ireland to continue his studies and to work as a junior houseman. He has to come to terms with leaving his family, particularly his somewhat over protective mother and adjusting to life and the weather in Ireland. This is a gentle comedy about cultural differences; it is also a sweet love story.

The characters are very endearing and well-drawn. The interplay and narrative between them is entertaining. The pace of the novel is right for the kind of story it is. I was left wanting more at the end which ended on a bit of a cliff hanger.

This is a great debut novel and I must thank the author for a gifted copy

[Shauna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice easy read

[Miriam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book for class, and it surprised me, in a negative way, because it just doesn't have the quality the books we study usually have. The storyline is trite, the characters unlikeable and stereotypical, and the humour sometimes simply flat and sometimes downright offensive. The ending is shoved into the last ten pages, in which more happens than in the first two hundred, and shows the protagonist from his worst side, reacting childishly and unthinkingly and unilaterally making decisions for the women in his life without asking them. There was some humour in Padhman's introduction into Alice's family gathering, and it would have been interesting to see them go to India together, but the book squanders this potential. The only good things about this book are the mouth-watering descriptions of the Indian food the characters wary but that is in no way enough to distract from the rest of this mess.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, light read. It's about an Indian doctor who goes to Ireland to work at a hospital there. Fun characters, with a fairly light plot line, there are two things that made the book stand out. Outstanding/mouthwatering descriptions of Indian food, and a fairly close examination of cultural differences and difficulties experienced by the main character.

[Afshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome book!

[Smita Beohar · Rating 3 out of 5]

An average read!!! 2.5 stars!

[Luaunna · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit boring