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The Distance
The Distance takes place in both an India of social revolution and a North America of immigrant assimilation. It is about human contradictions and dilemmas, and about characters torn apart by the fast-changing social landscape of two worlds. The narrator, a young Indian woman named Mini, must constantly choose between success and morality, between what she once wanted to be and what she has become. It is Mini s intelligence, awareness and strength of character--even more than the decision she must make between two worlds and two men--that set this story apart.
Mini is neither the typical housewife nor the poor uneducated woman that has been the traditional lens in most Indian fiction written in English. She is educated and socially conscious, and her political involvements in India make her a keen observer of North American society, even if they cannot really help her with matters of the human heart. Because she is young, human and a woman, all that Mini really wants at first is to be with Amitav, her classmate and a young man who is deeply involved in revolutionary politics in India. But Amitav appears indifferent to Mini s love. Consumed by the all-powerful force of his political being, he drags Mini into one risky situation after another. Mini s biggest test comes when she accompanies Amitav to a remote village in India to participate in a peasant struggle against an oppressive and corrupt political system. Here, under the moon, Mini and Amitav make love for the first time. As the protest intensifies, their lives are threatened; and Mini grows more and more apprehensive. She leaves Amitav to return to the city and her family.
After painful soul-searching, she decides to abandon a suffocating middle-class future in India and consents to an arranged marriage with an engineering graduate student, with whom she moves to Vancouver. Even as she escapes from Amitav, however, Mini is haunted by his ideas, political beliefs, passion and commitment. Despite herself, she still sees the world through his eyes. Her husband s pragmatism, sobriety and professional success only heighten her loneliness and isolation. Mini returns to India and, without intending to, meets Amitav again, only to realize how different her life has become:
While Amitav continues to struggle against oppression and injustice, she is engaged in trivial, self-indulgent pursuits in Canada. Though she does not know it yet, before long she will have to choose not only between two continents, two different ideologies, two different ways of life, but between the men she loves.
Mini is neither the typical housewife nor the poor uneducated woman that has been the traditional lens in most Indian fiction written in English. She is educated and socially conscious, and her political involvements in India make her a keen observer of North American society, even if they cannot really help her with matters of the human heart. Because she is young, human and a woman, all that Mini really wants at first is to be with Amitav, her classmate and a young man who is deeply involved in revolutionary politics in India. But Amitav appears indifferent to Mini s love. Consumed by the all-powerful force of his political being, he drags Mini into one risky situation after another. Mini s biggest test comes when she accompanies Amitav to a remote village in India to participate in a peasant struggle against an oppressive and corrupt political system. Here, under the moon, Mini and Amitav make love for the first time. As the protest intensifies, their lives are threatened; and Mini grows more and more apprehensive. She leaves Amitav to return to the city and her family.
After painful soul-searching, she decides to abandon a suffocating middle-class future in India and consents to an arranged marriage with an engineering graduate student, with whom she moves to Vancouver. Even as she escapes from Amitav, however, Mini is haunted by his ideas, political beliefs, passion and commitment. Despite herself, she still sees the world through his eyes. Her husband s pragmatism, sobriety and professional success only heighten her loneliness and isolation. Mini returns to India and, without intending to, meets Amitav again, only to realize how different her life has become:
While Amitav continues to struggle against oppression and injustice, she is engaged in trivial, self-indulgent pursuits in Canada. Though she does not know it yet, before long she will have to choose not only between two continents, two different ideologies, two different ways of life, but between the men she loves.
236 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 2009
32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 28, 2013
Closing the distance
SABORNA Roychowdhury moved to the US for her undergraduate work in Chemistry. Later, she started teaching at the Middlesex Community College. However, her forte always remained creative writing. Her short stories appeared in New York Stories and Quality Women's Magazine UK. Soon she got nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She is a contributing writer for several online magazines, including Chillibreeze, Hilltown Families, and Associated Content.
The Distance is Soborna's debut novel in which she deals with several serious issues, including the male-dominated society and the patriarchal family, politics on campus and out of it, and love and arranged marriages. It also deals with life in the USA minus
family values, love and affection. However, it is the tongue-in-cheek humour surrounding such serious issues that add sparkle to the book.
When I first started reading the novel, I wondered why Saborna had titled her novel 'The Distance' when she could have given it a much better title. However, on finishing it I realised that none other could have been more apt. It is the distance between dreams and realities; it is the distance between a husband and wife; it is the distance between arranged and love marriages; it is the distance between India and the USA and their cultural and family values, and it is the distance between openly-declared and unrequited love.
The first line of the novel 'My grandmother had a heart attack' immediately grabs your attention. But on learning as to why she had one you cannot help yourself from rolling on the floor.
The protagonist, Mini, tells you how her parents got married and how on their wedding night they discuss about Calcutta's top two football teams: Mohan Bagan and East Bengal. Somerset Maugham also creeps up on the agenda of topics discussed. Ironically, love and romance seem to be amiss. It seems to be so even 25 years later as Mini's mother complaints to the former's aunt Rini, "I don't have those kinds of saris. Where would I wear them? The only place your brother-in-law takes me is the bank and the post office."
On another occasion, Mini's father's culinary skills come into display and how he relishes the dish once it has been prepared. "That afternoon my father sat down to have lunch with a bowl full of cooked chicken, savouring the rising aroma with his closed eyes, dipping one finger at a time to judge the richness and texture of the sauce. My brother and I sat down as excited as he was to begin this grand and rare feast in our house. After putting one drop on the tip of his palate, he smacked his lips and let out a long sigh. My brother and I imitated him immediately and burst into laughter."
Death is a prominent fixture in Saborna's book. At least four of the characters will have died by the time you finish reading it.
Mini, while writing about her grandmother's death, says, "My mother stood near my grandmother's head with a hand-fan, looking down at her face. There were beads of moisture around her eyes, rising from a deep pool of memories. I wondered if they were memories of suppression, of lost freedom and constant interference? Or was it affection underneath it all that rises from proximity, having a history together, sharing of common experiences. Who knew what emotions lay behind those tears that day when she bent down to touch my grandmother's feet to bid her farewell."
From this you can easily infer that Saborna is a powerful observer and a deep thinker. She does not provide you with any answers, but leaves it to you to arrive at your own conclusion.
As far as my own viewpoint is concerned, people tend to forgive people's misgivings on their death and tend to be nostalgic, remembering all the moments of pleasure and the best of times
spent together.
Once you pick up the book, you won't feel like putting it down. The tempo keeps on building up, slowly and steadily.
I did find a few faults in the book, particularly where grammar is concerned. Saborna seems to be mixing up the articles 'a' and 'the' at some places. She consistently writes 'Are' for 'Arre' which is Hindi for 'Hey!' It is a pity that the editors proof-reading the book did not do an efficient job. Besides, a glossary would have done the book a world of good. She uses Hindi words even where English ones are available, which seems preposterous. She could have easily used saffron for 'kaiser'. I am sure all these errors will have been taken care of by the time its second edition goes into print.
Saborna's laconic humour is delicious, her occasional political comments are shrewd, and her deft thumbnail character-sketches reveal a keen eye for the essential extraordinariness of "ordinary" folk.
One more thing: at the end of Chapter 5, Saborna writes, "Looking for new adventures and thrills wasn't an option for either of them." However, it can be safely said: Looking for new adventures and thrills through her second novel is definitely an option for book lovers.
SABORNA Roychowdhury moved to the US for her undergraduate work in Chemistry. Later, she started teaching at the Middlesex Community College. However, her forte always remained creative writing. Her short stories appeared in New York Stories and Quality Women's Magazine UK. Soon she got nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She is a contributing writer for several online magazines, including Chillibreeze, Hilltown Families, and Associated Content.
The Distance is Soborna's debut novel in which she deals with several serious issues, including the male-dominated society and the patriarchal family, politics on campus and out of it, and love and arranged marriages. It also deals with life in the USA minus
family values, love and affection. However, it is the tongue-in-cheek humour surrounding such serious issues that add sparkle to the book.
When I first started reading the novel, I wondered why Saborna had titled her novel 'The Distance' when she could have given it a much better title. However, on finishing it I realised that none other could have been more apt. It is the distance between dreams and realities; it is the distance between a husband and wife; it is the distance between arranged and love marriages; it is the distance between India and the USA and their cultural and family values, and it is the distance between openly-declared and unrequited love.
The first line of the novel 'My grandmother had a heart attack' immediately grabs your attention. But on learning as to why she had one you cannot help yourself from rolling on the floor.
The protagonist, Mini, tells you how her parents got married and how on their wedding night they discuss about Calcutta's top two football teams: Mohan Bagan and East Bengal. Somerset Maugham also creeps up on the agenda of topics discussed. Ironically, love and romance seem to be amiss. It seems to be so even 25 years later as Mini's mother complaints to the former's aunt Rini, "I don't have those kinds of saris. Where would I wear them? The only place your brother-in-law takes me is the bank and the post office."
On another occasion, Mini's father's culinary skills come into display and how he relishes the dish once it has been prepared. "That afternoon my father sat down to have lunch with a bowl full of cooked chicken, savouring the rising aroma with his closed eyes, dipping one finger at a time to judge the richness and texture of the sauce. My brother and I sat down as excited as he was to begin this grand and rare feast in our house. After putting one drop on the tip of his palate, he smacked his lips and let out a long sigh. My brother and I imitated him immediately and burst into laughter."
Death is a prominent fixture in Saborna's book. At least four of the characters will have died by the time you finish reading it.
Mini, while writing about her grandmother's death, says, "My mother stood near my grandmother's head with a hand-fan, looking down at her face. There were beads of moisture around her eyes, rising from a deep pool of memories. I wondered if they were memories of suppression, of lost freedom and constant interference? Or was it affection underneath it all that rises from proximity, having a history together, sharing of common experiences. Who knew what emotions lay behind those tears that day when she bent down to touch my grandmother's feet to bid her farewell."
From this you can easily infer that Saborna is a powerful observer and a deep thinker. She does not provide you with any answers, but leaves it to you to arrive at your own conclusion.
As far as my own viewpoint is concerned, people tend to forgive people's misgivings on their death and tend to be nostalgic, remembering all the moments of pleasure and the best of times
spent together.
Once you pick up the book, you won't feel like putting it down. The tempo keeps on building up, slowly and steadily.
I did find a few faults in the book, particularly where grammar is concerned. Saborna seems to be mixing up the articles 'a' and 'the' at some places. She consistently writes 'Are' for 'Arre' which is Hindi for 'Hey!' It is a pity that the editors proof-reading the book did not do an efficient job. Besides, a glossary would have done the book a world of good. She uses Hindi words even where English ones are available, which seems preposterous. She could have easily used saffron for 'kaiser'. I am sure all these errors will have been taken care of by the time its second edition goes into print.
Saborna's laconic humour is delicious, her occasional political comments are shrewd, and her deft thumbnail character-sketches reveal a keen eye for the essential extraordinariness of "ordinary" folk.
One more thing: at the end of Chapter 5, Saborna writes, "Looking for new adventures and thrills wasn't an option for either of them." However, it can be safely said: Looking for new adventures and thrills through her second novel is definitely an option for book lovers.
February 3, 2012
A marvelous love story about a young woman from India who has to make difficult choices. The conflict between traditional Indian family values and western influences permeates the story, which also addresses the nature of identity and the ethical and emotional choices facing the female protagonist. Above all - a well-paced, informative, and entertaining read!
August 12, 2013
I loved this book. The author had me from the very first line. Her descriptions, character development, and the family dynamics could have been anywhere--but they were in India. The heroine of the story, Mini, tries to fulfill her family's wishes; especially after a bad relationship with a local militant. This relationship makes her family move more quickly to marry her. Mini marries a doctoral student who is studying in Vancover-and the strangeness of the new life there seems to keep Mini and her husband Neel apart.
When they return home after a number of years to help Mini's family move from the apartment the local don has been trying to sell, Mini re-unites with her first love,Amitav--the unseen party in this marriage.
What happens next moves very quickly, and I did not want the book to end, I only hope she writes a sequel--I will be the first in line for this author's next book!
When they return home after a number of years to help Mini's family move from the apartment the local don has been trying to sell, Mini re-unites with her first love,Amitav--the unseen party in this marriage.
What happens next moves very quickly, and I did not want the book to end, I only hope she writes a sequel--I will be the first in line for this author's next book!
October 28, 2013
As another reviewer called a love letter to India aptly describes this book. Female lead Mini doesn't know how to be separated from her beloved India after marriage. She literally and figuratively pines for the things from home instead of living life in Vancouver. Neel is at first understanding but after a while ceases to be as understanding. He is all but demanding Mini accept her life as it is now instead of wishful thinking on her part. Amitav tells Mini that she'll regret her life in a far away place but Mini doesn't believe him. Yet the reality Amitav spoke of is all to clear to Mini inspite of the few friends she's made. The more Mini's life seems to change the more she clings to her old life in India. Will Mini accept her life outside of India? Will Amitav's prediction come true? What will Neel do? Your answers await you in The Distance.
I liked the premise of the story but eventually I didn't care for the constant whining from Mini about her life. While she did nothing to improve her circumstances or even try too. I sympathized with Neel's frustation towards Mini because he gave her useful ideas but she either lacked the will to try or flat out refuse his suggestions in some cases. The daily life in India was fascinating and interesting. Yet I'm very much about my own cultural differences to admit I sometimes really couldn't understand Mini's pain. I guess that's where I admit that the writing really shines thru in these instances to make up for my perceptions. I'd recommend this book to my fellow readers.
I liked the premise of the story but eventually I didn't care for the constant whining from Mini about her life. While she did nothing to improve her circumstances or even try too. I sympathized with Neel's frustation towards Mini because he gave her useful ideas but she either lacked the will to try or flat out refuse his suggestions in some cases. The daily life in India was fascinating and interesting. Yet I'm very much about my own cultural differences to admit I sometimes really couldn't understand Mini's pain. I guess that's where I admit that the writing really shines thru in these instances to make up for my perceptions. I'd recommend this book to my fellow readers.
July 9, 2013
Nice debut novel by Saborna. The style of writing was quite different and sometimes it was difficult to understand the timeline of the event. Once you get used to the writing, it was a nice easy read. It was definetely interesting and quite an unexpected end!! Great job, Saborna.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews