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Ice-Candy Man
Ice-Candy Man
Paperback
Published May 26, 2016
About the author
Bapsi Sidhwa
16 books387 followersBapsi Sidhwa was a Pakistani novelist who wrote in English and was resident in the United States.
She was best known for her collaborative work with Indo-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta: Sidhwa wrote both the 1991 novel Ice Candy Man which served as the basis for Mehta's 1998 film Earth as well as the 2006 novel Water: A Novel, on which Mehta's 2005 film Water is based. A documentary about Sidhwa's life called "Bapsi: Silences of My Life" was released on the official YouTube channel of " The Citizens Archive of Pakistan" on 28 October 2022 with the title " First Generation -Stories of partition: Bapsi Sidhwa".
She was best known for her collaborative work with Indo-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta: Sidhwa wrote both the 1991 novel Ice Candy Man which served as the basis for Mehta's 1998 film Earth as well as the 2006 novel Water: A Novel, on which Mehta's 2005 film Water is based. A documentary about Sidhwa's life called "Bapsi: Silences of My Life" was released on the official YouTube channel of " The Citizens Archive of Pakistan" on 28 October 2022 with the title " First Generation -Stories of partition: Bapsi Sidhwa".
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 16, 2026
This book made me speechless at times. And not in a good way.
Chapter 25 and 32 were the only chapters which reminded me that this books was supposed to be related to 1947 partition.
Often times i wondered what even was the purpose of this book. It had good moments too but they were outnumbered by the bad ones.
I understand if she (bapsi) was trying to portray reality with raw honesty but at times it was too much. It lacked emotions. I fear that was intentional.
The character writing was banger. Every character was complex and rich in personality whether it was bad or good.
I would've preferred to venture more into Ranna's story because i felt like chapter 25 where pir pindo's horrors took place overpowered the WHOLE BOOK.
The reason I'm giving this even 2 stars is that chapter 25 made me cry and I liked Godmother, when she wasn't such a B- to mini aunty. Which was never☺️
Chapter 25 and 32 were the only chapters which reminded me that this books was supposed to be related to 1947 partition.
Often times i wondered what even was the purpose of this book. It had good moments too but they were outnumbered by the bad ones.
I understand if she (bapsi) was trying to portray reality with raw honesty but at times it was too much. It lacked emotions. I fear that was intentional.
The character writing was banger. Every character was complex and rich in personality whether it was bad or good.
I would've preferred to venture more into Ranna's story because i felt like chapter 25 where pir pindo's horrors took place overpowered the WHOLE BOOK.
The reason I'm giving this even 2 stars is that chapter 25 made me cry and I liked Godmother, when she wasn't such a B- to mini aunty. Which was never☺️
May 3, 2026
The Ice Candy man is a novel about Lenny, a girl suffering from polio observing the Subcontinent experience its gradual decay into war and chaos. Through her, we mourn the loss of a multi-cultural society and delve into the perspectives of characters from various religions and sects processing this change.
The images portrayed in most of the novel seem to show camaraderie between different religions and not letting political beliefs hinder those that knew each other from having some fun, even though initial incidents were disrespectful. However, we see how the Ice candy man completely changes his view point further in the novel where the increasing political conflict and mob
mentality encompassed his thoughts. When it was mentioned that Sher Singh had left Lahore, he
called it “natural justice” as the tenants took revenge on him by misbehaving with Sher Singh’s
sister. After finding out about the massacre on the train from Gurdaspur, we see the Ice candy
man moving towards hatred for the other religions. It shows how tragedy and trauma can switch
one's biases. What he had thought to be harmless fun turned out to be devastating for Sher
Singh’s family when receiving backlash from the tenants and the Ice candy man seemed to have
no remorse for causing these events in the first place. He had called himself a friend first and a
mussalman second but here we see how reality broke through to show the true personality of
the Ice candy man.
The novel highlights the theme of loyalties and relationships with minority communities as partition takes place. People that had relationships with each other eventually began to re-evaluate their friendships through the perspective of identity and religion, giving us an
insight into how humans may perceive conflict in a way that leads them towards extreme
views. It also explores the theme of exploitation and loss of innocence as the account being
told was not age-appropriate for Lenny, yet, the Ice candy man told it with amusement and
Ayah listened to it intently while Lenny copied Ayah’s reaction as well which would normalize
such instances for a child and eventually she would have to deal with the mental impact of the
brutality of partition. The uncertainty relating to people’s allegiances would reflect the crisis of
identity that took place during partition.
The images portrayed in most of the novel seem to show camaraderie between different religions and not letting political beliefs hinder those that knew each other from having some fun, even though initial incidents were disrespectful. However, we see how the Ice candy man completely changes his view point further in the novel where the increasing political conflict and mob
mentality encompassed his thoughts. When it was mentioned that Sher Singh had left Lahore, he
called it “natural justice” as the tenants took revenge on him by misbehaving with Sher Singh’s
sister. After finding out about the massacre on the train from Gurdaspur, we see the Ice candy
man moving towards hatred for the other religions. It shows how tragedy and trauma can switch
one's biases. What he had thought to be harmless fun turned out to be devastating for Sher
Singh’s family when receiving backlash from the tenants and the Ice candy man seemed to have
no remorse for causing these events in the first place. He had called himself a friend first and a
mussalman second but here we see how reality broke through to show the true personality of
the Ice candy man.
The novel highlights the theme of loyalties and relationships with minority communities as partition takes place. People that had relationships with each other eventually began to re-evaluate their friendships through the perspective of identity and religion, giving us an
insight into how humans may perceive conflict in a way that leads them towards extreme
views. It also explores the theme of exploitation and loss of innocence as the account being
told was not age-appropriate for Lenny, yet, the Ice candy man told it with amusement and
Ayah listened to it intently while Lenny copied Ayah’s reaction as well which would normalize
such instances for a child and eventually she would have to deal with the mental impact of the
brutality of partition. The uncertainty relating to people’s allegiances would reflect the crisis of
identity that took place during partition.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2026
Ice-Candy Man is a Partition story woven through the narration of a little Parsee girl living in Lahore in the early 1940s. It is unique in two ways.
𝘈. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥'𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. It is not just her story; there is also Ranna, an equally young boy living in an Indian village, who is exposed to the same brutality. Through them, the novel captures the devastating impact of Partition on children and common people caught in its path.
𝘉. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘪𝘬𝘩𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘢𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵. 𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘪𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘴. 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.
The book falls short in some areas as well:
The title 𝗜𝗰𝗲-𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗻 is slightly misleading in my opinion ; 𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 is comparatively a better title. The story involving the Ice-Candy Man and Ayah felt forced and was carried rather hastily through the last few chapters, leaving little lasting impact. Ayah was already a powerful character and worked best on her own as a symbol of a united India. The author seemed determined to add a layer of complicated romance to the story, something it did not really need.
Similarly, the dynamic between the protagonist's mother and father felt irrelevant, as it was neither developed further nor meaningfully concluded. Imam Din's character also came across as unrealistic. Man or no man, he was far too composed for someone who had lost most of his family in a brutal massacre.
Another issue is the pacing. The first 150 pages are exceedingly slow, compelling the reader to consider abandoning the book altogether.
One cannot deny the authenticity of the novel, because the protagonist is essentially Bapsi Sidhwa herself, and the recollections feel as real as they come. However, the execution could have been stronger had the author set aside some of the irrelevant material and focused more sharply on the central theme.
I'd give it 3/5. Despite its flaws, it remains a thought-provoking read with a few things that continue to linger long after the final page.
𝘈. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥'𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. It is not just her story; there is also Ranna, an equally young boy living in an Indian village, who is exposed to the same brutality. Through them, the novel captures the devastating impact of Partition on children and common people caught in its path.
𝘉. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘪𝘬𝘩𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘢𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵. 𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘪𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘴. 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.
The book falls short in some areas as well:
The title 𝗜𝗰𝗲-𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗻 is slightly misleading in my opinion ; 𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 is comparatively a better title. The story involving the Ice-Candy Man and Ayah felt forced and was carried rather hastily through the last few chapters, leaving little lasting impact. Ayah was already a powerful character and worked best on her own as a symbol of a united India. The author seemed determined to add a layer of complicated romance to the story, something it did not really need.
Similarly, the dynamic between the protagonist's mother and father felt irrelevant, as it was neither developed further nor meaningfully concluded. Imam Din's character also came across as unrealistic. Man or no man, he was far too composed for someone who had lost most of his family in a brutal massacre.
Another issue is the pacing. The first 150 pages are exceedingly slow, compelling the reader to consider abandoning the book altogether.
One cannot deny the authenticity of the novel, because the protagonist is essentially Bapsi Sidhwa herself, and the recollections feel as real as they come. However, the execution could have been stronger had the author set aside some of the irrelevant material and focused more sharply on the central theme.
I'd give it 3/5. Despite its flaws, it remains a thought-provoking read with a few things that continue to linger long after the final page.
May 17, 2026
It took me extremely long to get through this book because of my exams but honestly, I would not have it any other way. Bapsi Sidhwa has a gift for storytelling. The way she builds her character, the way she narrates history, the way she deals with nuances and complexities of being a human, the way she finds humour and somehow manages to move the reader’s heart…it is magical. I have an exam in 4 days and instead of studying for it, I have finished this masterpiece (no regrets). The story of Ayah will stay with me forever. This book will stay with me forever. I wish I could do justice to this book by writing the perfect review but honestly this book deserves to be experienced than merely reviewed.
June 9, 2025
The moment i picked this book up i knew it would be special. And special it was. Not just the fact that it’s set in and around my neighbourhood (jailroad, waris road, old lahore) making it feel like this book belongs to me like i was there, at the time of partition. The horrors, the sorrow, the wittiness, the twisted humour, a must read book for multiple reasons.
January 7, 2023
I have heard a lot of Sidhwa and her writing and as a Pakistani, where the partition of 1947 is a indirect part of my life, this is a great read. Her ability to write from the perspective of a child, whose wanting to live life yet is alarmingly aware of the world the adults live in is amazing.
Read
August 29, 2022I have recently read a novel Ice candy Man written by a Pakistani novelist Bapsi sidhwa. It is an attention seeker novel. The writer has done brilliant art of characterization in it. The characters are shown as the representation of different religions living in a community.
Bapsi Sidhwa, being a Parsee, always raised voice for her community. Many of her novels have Parsee protagonists including ice candy man, an American brat and the crow eaters etc. in ice candy man; she has shown the struggle of pareses living as a minority. Minorities always have to follow the rules made by majorities. This Parsee family also live accordingly. They have relations with Muslim, Sikhs, Hindus as well as British. The protagonist of this novel is a child who has polio. She observes each and every thing in her surroundings. Even she has argued her mother that everyone around says Parsees are bum lickers of British.
The complex character of ice candy man and his impact on those around him is one of the most fascinating aspects of the novel. Sidhwa expertly captures the tension and conflict of a time when India was on the brink of change. Ice Candy Man is a must-read for anyone interested in historical fiction or literature from South Asia.
Argument 1:
I agree with the fact that minority have to live according to the majorities. But this is not bum licking. This is their need. They are less in numbers thus they don’t have enough facilities to live openly. They don’t have large number of their temple or a place to pray like temples of Hindus or mosques. Muslims in Pakistan and Hindus in India are in large number. So they have their places at every corner of alleys. But due to less number in minorities, they don’t have any. There are rarely 2 to 3 places in a city for them.
They perform different occasions like Eid, Dewali, and Holi and so on. They are living in the environment where they have to interact with other communities for their existence. Man is a social animal. He has to communicate with everyone. He has to take care of the things which other do. They have to support others to get support. If a minority is having the facilities of life by following the majority, it does not mean they are there slaves. But it is their way of living a luxurious life. If Parsee families go against British, then they can suffer as Muslims and Hindus did. They follow their life style, dressing, entrepreneurship, and make them happy by different gifts for an easy living.
Argument 2:
The other thing which the novel depicts is partition. It is all about before and after partition of subcontinent. Sidhwa is an eye witness of partition. The girl in the novel is autobiographic character of Sidhwa. Sidhwa has seen all these things herself. The way in which she has given the account of partition gives Goosebumps to me. Hindus have murdered many Muslims. Muslims have also done the same. They also murdered many Hindus while migration. This partition has given a very strong impact on the minds of characters. Ice candy man’s whole family is killed while migration. He is so much frustrated that when Muslims in India has burnt some places, everyone is crying for help, and then he becomes a selfish man. He is happy by seeing their cry. He doesn’t even try to help them as he wants his family’s revenge. He even does not left his own lover. She was a Hindu and dumped him because of another man. He, with other Muslims, sent her to an unknown place like brothel or murdered her. It is not clear but the main thing is that he does not even consider his love due to the frustration of partition. The character of Parsee girl is also influenced by surroundings. She started t like the character of Ice Candy Man but when she has realized that he is changing due to partition and its affect, she also become startle from him. She is not accepting the reaction of him regarding punishing Ayah as somewhere she has made him as her ideal.
Conclusion:
Overall the novel is fabulous. It shows each and every detail of the events. Sidhwa raises voice for Parsees, women as well as colonized in her work. She has targeted the Parsee family as her main characters but through them she wants to show the condition of subalterns present in subcontinent. It is a historical novel which helps to seek the identity and individuality of colonized people. Ice candy man is a complex and multi-layered story that explores the themes of identity, religion, and politics in a time of great upheaval. Sidhwa’s writing is beautiful and evocative, and her characters are richly drawn and deeply human. Ice Candy Man is a powerful and moving novel that will stay with readers long after they have finished it.
The complex character of ice candy man and his impact on those around him is one of the most fascinating aspects of the novel. Sidhwa expertly captures the tension and conflict of a time when India was on the brink of change. Ice Candy Man is a must-read for anyone interested in historical fiction or literature from South Asia.
Muhammad Awais
Bapsi Sidhwa, being a Parsee, always raised voice for her community. Many of her novels have Parsee protagonists including ice candy man, an American brat and the crow eaters etc. in ice candy man; she has shown the struggle of pareses living as a minority. Minorities always have to follow the rules made by majorities. This Parsee family also live accordingly. They have relations with Muslim, Sikhs, Hindus as well as British. The protagonist of this novel is a child who has polio. She observes each and every thing in her surroundings. Even she has argued her mother that everyone around says Parsees are bum lickers of British.
The complex character of ice candy man and his impact on those around him is one of the most fascinating aspects of the novel. Sidhwa expertly captures the tension and conflict of a time when India was on the brink of change. Ice Candy Man is a must-read for anyone interested in historical fiction or literature from South Asia.
Argument 1:
I agree with the fact that minority have to live according to the majorities. But this is not bum licking. This is their need. They are less in numbers thus they don’t have enough facilities to live openly. They don’t have large number of their temple or a place to pray like temples of Hindus or mosques. Muslims in Pakistan and Hindus in India are in large number. So they have their places at every corner of alleys. But due to less number in minorities, they don’t have any. There are rarely 2 to 3 places in a city for them.
They perform different occasions like Eid, Dewali, and Holi and so on. They are living in the environment where they have to interact with other communities for their existence. Man is a social animal. He has to communicate with everyone. He has to take care of the things which other do. They have to support others to get support. If a minority is having the facilities of life by following the majority, it does not mean they are there slaves. But it is their way of living a luxurious life. If Parsee families go against British, then they can suffer as Muslims and Hindus did. They follow their life style, dressing, entrepreneurship, and make them happy by different gifts for an easy living.
Argument 2:
The other thing which the novel depicts is partition. It is all about before and after partition of subcontinent. Sidhwa is an eye witness of partition. The girl in the novel is autobiographic character of Sidhwa. Sidhwa has seen all these things herself. The way in which she has given the account of partition gives Goosebumps to me. Hindus have murdered many Muslims. Muslims have also done the same. They also murdered many Hindus while migration. This partition has given a very strong impact on the minds of characters. Ice candy man’s whole family is killed while migration. He is so much frustrated that when Muslims in India has burnt some places, everyone is crying for help, and then he becomes a selfish man. He is happy by seeing their cry. He doesn’t even try to help them as he wants his family’s revenge. He even does not left his own lover. She was a Hindu and dumped him because of another man. He, with other Muslims, sent her to an unknown place like brothel or murdered her. It is not clear but the main thing is that he does not even consider his love due to the frustration of partition. The character of Parsee girl is also influenced by surroundings. She started t like the character of Ice Candy Man but when she has realized that he is changing due to partition and its affect, she also become startle from him. She is not accepting the reaction of him regarding punishing Ayah as somewhere she has made him as her ideal.
Conclusion:
Overall the novel is fabulous. It shows each and every detail of the events. Sidhwa raises voice for Parsees, women as well as colonized in her work. She has targeted the Parsee family as her main characters but through them she wants to show the condition of subalterns present in subcontinent. It is a historical novel which helps to seek the identity and individuality of colonized people. Ice candy man is a complex and multi-layered story that explores the themes of identity, religion, and politics in a time of great upheaval. Sidhwa’s writing is beautiful and evocative, and her characters are richly drawn and deeply human. Ice Candy Man is a powerful and moving novel that will stay with readers long after they have finished it.
The complex character of ice candy man and his impact on those around him is one of the most fascinating aspects of the novel. Sidhwa expertly captures the tension and conflict of a time when India was on the brink of change. Ice Candy Man is a must-read for anyone interested in historical fiction or literature from South Asia.
Muhammad Awais
November 27, 2022
Ice-Candy Man (Cracking India) was my first Bapsi Sidhwa novel that I picked up on a friend’s recommendation. The book is set in pre-partition Lahore and is narrated by Lenny, a Parsi girl; providing a fresh perspective to the partition through the eyes of a Parsi child; who’s crippled due to polio. The story revolves around Lenny and her 18-year-old Hindu ayah Shanta who has hordes of admirers one of them being the ice candy man.
There are several characters in the book all from different walks of life and religious backgrounds such as the Masseur, Papoo, Imam-Din, Ranna, Hamida, and Hari who have their lives upended due to the partition. The book was beautiful, tragic, and endearing. I found myself crying for Shanta, Papoo, Hamida, and Ranna. The ending was bittersweet and devastating at the same time as it depicted in many ways the reality of partition and how it affected the people of South Asia, especially the women.
Bapsi Sidhwa is a phenomenal storyteller, I was transported back to the world of little Lenny as I could vividly picture the story as it was narrated. 5/5
There are several characters in the book all from different walks of life and religious backgrounds such as the Masseur, Papoo, Imam-Din, Ranna, Hamida, and Hari who have their lives upended due to the partition. The book was beautiful, tragic, and endearing. I found myself crying for Shanta, Papoo, Hamida, and Ranna. The ending was bittersweet and devastating at the same time as it depicted in many ways the reality of partition and how it affected the people of South Asia, especially the women.
Bapsi Sidhwa is a phenomenal storyteller, I was transported back to the world of little Lenny as I could vividly picture the story as it was narrated. 5/5
November 22, 2023
Gripping story told from a child’s point of view about the Partition of Pakistan and India. It is original, humorous, and exquisitely sad. It is so relevant in terms of the degradation due to ethnic and religious differences. Very strong portrayal of women. This story will stay with me always, especially the chapter narrated from underneath the dining room table eavesdropping on the adults.
November 29, 2023
I never knew I needed this perspective on Partition of India. I loved the short segmented chapters!
February 17, 2026
innocent at times, at times harrowing
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