As Sweet as Honey

by Indira Ganesan

In her latest novel, Indira Ganesan, a writer often likened to Arundhati Roy and Chitra Divakaruni (see back of jacket for reviews), gives us an enchanting story of family life that is a dance of love and grief and rebirth set on a gorgeous island in the Indian Ocean.

The island is filled with exotic flora and fauna and perfumed air. A large family compound is presided over by a benign, stalwart grandmother. There is a very tall South Asian heroine with the astonishing un-Indian name of Meterling, who has found love at last in the shape of a short, round, elegant Englishman who wears white suits. There are also numerous aunts, uncles, and young cousins—among them, Mina, grown now, and telling this story of a marriage ceremony that ends with a widowed bride who, in the midst of her grief, discovers she is pregnant.            

While enjoying their own games and growing pains, Mina and her young cousins follow every nuance of gossip, trying to puzzle out what is going on with their favorite aunt, particularly when the groom’s cousin arrives from England and begins to woo her. As Meterling—torn between Eastern and Western ideas of love and family, duty and loyalty—struggles to make a new life, we become as entranced with this family, its adventures and complications, as Mina is.

And with her we celebrate a time and place where, although sometimes difficult, life was for the most part as sweet as honey.   

Genres: Fiction, India, Romance, Literature, Contemporary, Asia, Novels

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Indira Ganesan's newest novel, As Sweet As Honey (NY: AlfredA. Knopf), was released in February, 2013. She is the author of Inheritance (NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1998) and The Journey (NY: Alfred A. Knopf,1990.) Her books are available in trade paper from Beacon Books, and have been translated into French, Japanese, Greek, and German. She is a 1998 Bunting Fellow.

Reviews

[Barbm1020 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This charming new novel is about a family from the Island of Pi, off South India. The author is from South India but lives in England. I'm counting this book for my 2013 challenge to read 12 books from 12 countries this year. The writing style is lovely, lucid and fluent, and the characters are completely endearing. As the members of this family deal with change in their lives and in the cultures they sample and sometimes embrace, traditions are challenged but the basic values of taking care of each other and celebrating life remain rock-solid. Should an Island person marry a white person? Should a widow remarry? Should a girl be educated? Should a couple adopt a child? In every case the answer here is yes, and it works out to the good of all concerned. It makes me question the way we live in my own country, with often just one or two people in a household, and how hard it is to hold onto relationships when we don't make the necessary investment in them. It's a lovely book, and I recommend it highly.

[Ahtims · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delectable book with exquisite details and a decent enough story which I enjoyed reading.
In the Bay of Bengal, there is a small island country called Pi.  Above Sri Lanka and close to India. And here live the extended family of Mina. 
Mina is the main narrator who lyrically tells the story of her family, with grandparents, parents ,  uncles, aunts, myriads of cousins and the people they meet and marry.
There's lots of food related talk, descriptions of trivia in enchanting manner and even a ghost. The ghost was quite unexpected, nevertheless I enjoyed his introduction.
I loved all the characters, especially Meterling, Mina's favorite cousin, but who is somehow always Aunt Meterling to the rest of the cousins.The story starts with a wedding and ends with the anticipation of a wedding.

[Rebecca]

It was lyrical. The prose just flew like a stream. It is one of those books you cannot put into any category. It is a story - just that a story. A story of love , a story of the Island of Pi , a story of Aunt Meterling.

Meterling finds love, loses it and then finds it again. Even when in love she longs for her native land the beautiful island of Pi. But there is nothing she can do about it and there is nothing she does.That is the beauty of this story. Life goes on and time passes. But the end nevertheless was not very satisfying.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a 3.5 star book for me.

My thoughts:
• The language is charming and captivating that draws the read in from the first page and holds your attention to the end.
• Storytelling is good, great pacing and transitions between the three parts.
• The characters are delightfully genuine and see the positive side of life through the ups and downs – always knowing family is a safe cocoon
• I enjoyed the young narrator, Mina, telling the first part as it introduces the characters in a loving supportive atmosphere as this middle class family accept the challenges of life on a small island vs. leaving for foreign places, and how to maneuver affairs of the heart within the constraints of their culture and acceptance of individual happiness.
• I enjoyed how the issue of homesickness is addressed in the second part – of course you miss your home and yes you make comparisons but there are also good aspects in your new place – it is all about attitude
• I thought the third part was not as strong as the first two parts but you are so invested in the characters, the language, and the situations that it does not interfere with the enjoyment.
• The “ghost” is also a wonderful character and as he resolves his issues it also helps the other characters be comfortable on who they are and realize loving your past can help you in the present and forward to your future.
• By far – Meterling was my fav character – loved her strength, determination and ability
• This is my first read by this author and would read future works. I easily read this book over two nights.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Sweet As Honey by Indira Ganesa is the story of a family on and off the island of Pi in the Bay of Bengal. It is an unusual jewel of a book. It sparkles with humor, folklore of Pi, love and the voices of little children. There is also jealously, a ghost and desire to explore the western world.

Most of the story centers on Meterling. She is a very tall dark woman on the island of Pi who is engaged to a short, plump Englishman, Archer. Meterling is fascinated by western world and at the same filled with a love for her family and the gorgeous flower filled island. But at the wedding by the ceremony, they dance and he dies of an aneurism.

At first, her story is told by many, aunts, uncles and little children. They are wondering about her and her desire to be different. They can't figure her out. Sometimes the questions asked by the children are answered by the aunts and uncles. Other times, the questions can only be answered by Meterling.

Then Meterling takes over the story, telling her history and her love for Archer and the sorrow that it brings when he suddenly dies. Gossip still is a strong force in this part of the story. But Meterling goes through her life making her own decisions.

The only thing that was negative for me is the first part of the book. I was so eager to meet Meterling but so many relatives had to have their say first. This book is not one that you can rush through but one to enjoy the little gems of wisdom, and humor of the children. The pain of grief and joy of living after that grief shines through this book.

I recommend this book for anyone interested in other cultures.and of Pi in the Bay of Bengal. Most of the story centers aroung Meterling. Indira Ganesan is a wonderful storyteller.

I received this book from Amazon Vine and that did not influence my thoughts in this review.

[Louise · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was like reading a diary. A very boring diary. I got to page 134 before I shut the cover for good.

[Ashwinmudigonda · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first book that I tried in this Tamil+English genre was The Silent Raga by Ameen Merchant. It tried to pivot on the Tamil and Bombay connection, and to a certain degree it was alright, I guess, but it wasn't a mind opening experience, and neither was it flowery or a delight to read (from a plot or prose point of view).
There had been others, I later realized. For example: R. K. Narayan. His books were lucid and painted a barebones picture of southern India. His characters were affable and organically grew with the reader. But I craved a multisensory assault. Ameen Merchant wasn't that person.
So when I found As Sweet as Honey by Indira Ganesan, my interest was piquéd. Ganesan was as TamBram a name there was, and I knew instantly that this was yet another attempt to corner this sub-genre.

The single biggest gripe I had about the book was the name of the protagonist: Meterling
Let that sink in: Meterling.
Not something simple like Gita, Padma, Kavita etc. Neither something orchidaceous like Akhilandeshwari, Gajalakshmi, etc.
No! Meter-bloody-ling.
Why was she named Meterling? A vague one liner somewhere about the grandma explaining to the reader (a point of view of a child) why her son (reader's uncle) named his daughter (reader's aunt) Meterling. "Who knows? Maybe he was inspired by one of those German authors."
And that was that. The whole book read "My aunt Meterling was a lady..." "When she turned my aunt Meterling saw Godzilla.." "She jumped from the building and my aunt Meterling flew..." It ground in my head like sand in a gearbox and wore me down.

The next thing that annoyed me about the book was this haphazard point of view shift. I understand the need for many first time novelists to write from their own perspective as teenagers/children. It's the memories that are the most vivid. No harm there. But what's stupid is to not be able to switch from that perspective to another character's in a facile way. Either stick to the perspective or go for the omnipresent third person pov if you don't possess Roy's pov shifting gifts.

The book initially starts with the reader seeing through a little girl's perspective, the aunt of whom was the terribly named Meterling. Set on a lazy island of Pi (could not find this) near Tamil Nadu, it recreated some of the facets of a south Indian tropical maternal grandma's house with banana trees, mortar pestle, arranged marriages, etc. The reader has many cousins, as most of us did while growing up, and indulges in vapid dialogues to underscore her naïveté. All this while her attention is pointed to this incredibly tall Meterling. And without any concern for the struggling reader, the point of view abandons this kid and possesses Meterling's stratospheric head. Meterling's husband (some sickly British dude) dies on the wedding day (what a hook for an opening chapter). She discovers that she is pregnant a month or so later (if she wasn't Ganesan would have made a good writer for Kiarastomi's stupid flicks), falls in love with her husband's cousin, marries him, and emigrates to London.
So because there is some unwritten rule about colonial writers having to describe one Indian and one Western city in excruciating detail (They walked down Smith Avenue, turned right on Darling Street, bought soan papdi at the Brinkman's Tea and Toilet Supplies, and then ate them while watching the vultures swim in the nearby lava lake...or something) No concern that the reader is clueless about the addresses and street names of the whole world (unless it 10 Downing St, Baker St, or some such iconic place).

So the story, Meterling, and her baby move to London where they are shown to be uncomfortable and cold during winters. She makes random friends who are fascinated by her exotic height, skin color and other desi aspects (but never her stupid name apparently). She encounters a lesbian desi couple and her mind = blown. Her now-husband's family comes to visit and they have some issues because they can't believe two idiots in their family fell for the same honeytrap. Now one is dead, and the other is clueless why he is raising a bastard.
Indira Ganesan is too prude to write Meterling's lovemaking (or as I like to call it: sex) scenes with any serious fire, and thus meanders around it while still wanting to describe this character as a regular woman with needs. The few sentences are the literary equivalent of Bollywood's shots of two roses bouncing and touching each other in the wind to indicate that "stuff" happened.

The plot aches on, India fades away, and the characters are as transparent as ghosts (about that in a moment). But all of a sudden a sentence like this takes root like a wild fungus in a latrine: "The milkman knocked on the door, and my aunt Meterling opened the door..." Whose aunt who? Why did this stupid author's 9 year old point of view appear while she was still away on the island of Pi. It's this crappy pov execution that ruined the book.

Oh! There is a ghost. The dead husband starts showing up in her life, talking to her and generally freaking the crap out of her. Over time she accepts this (normal apparently) and communicates with him asking him why he is bothering her. And he gives some lame ass ghost-like response like "I want to see my son grow up." This stupid character starts haunting the reader for a few chapters.

Then for the climax the whole family returns to Pi where the reader is now all grown up, and is an NRI-return, presumably faking an accent, wearing an Abercombie tee, and bathed in perfume of Head and Shoulders. Meterling is a middle-aged woman, her son is some random twelve years old, and confused about his mother's side of the family. So he hops on a bus and goes on a ride, gets off at some stop, and finds himself lost. His father's ghost materializes and has a conversation with him, leads him home, and then disappears. He finally reappears in front of the gray haired Meterling who is probably standing in the backyard, her sari in a bunch around her knees, slamming wet tee shirts across a stone in some desperate need to connect to her Indian washerwoman's roots. The ghost is like, "Sup" and freaks her again. But this time he says, "I just wanted to see my son. kthxbai." And leaves. There is a sound of a door opening and closing and Meterling's cousin runs in to ask if everything is okay, and Meter-bloody-ling stares at infinity and says, "Yeah! Everything is okay."

Curtains.

If this appears to be a pretty shoddy rip off of Hamlet, it is.

(I paraphrased many of the above sentences from the book).
((Actually, all of them)).

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

“We glimpse such a small part of our lives. Imagine a paper clip attached to a piece of paper- or better yet, three pieces of paper. We pride ourselves on our organization, we congratulate ourselves on our innate wisdom, but in truth, all we ever know at one time is the area contained by the paper clip, while reams of paper reside in us.” (71)

The idea that our lives are so full and that we can only glimpse a few moments of our lives at a time is so enticing to think about, it is often the underlying theme of novels. Indira Ganesan weaves together snapshots of the lives of one family living on the island of Pi in the Bay of Bengal in her novel As Sweet as Honey. The story told between the covers is many faceted but our anchor throughout is Meterling. In the first part of the novel we hear about Meterling’s life from her niece Mina. At a moment in her life when Meterling thought she would not find love Archer enters her life and completely wins her heart. From the start they seem to fit together so well, understand each other so completely; “Meterling had never tasted such a fizzy drink before and immediately burped. Archer let one out too, to save her embarrassment, and that’s how their fate was sealed.” (10) Although their courtship was short they were sure that their lives together would be long and full. Unfortunately for the couple their lives together would end on their wedding day when Archer died from an aneurism. Deep in the depths of grief Meterling discovered that she was pregnant with Archer’s child. She would have a piece of him to carry with her in life after all. Just before the arrival of Oscar Meterling finds love again with the man she least expected, Archer’s cousin Simon.

The second part of the book follows Meterling, Simon and Oscar to London where for the first time in the book we hear from Meterling herself. She tells us of her insecurities, her triumphs and her encounters with Archer’s ghost. We briefly watch the family grow together and fall comfortably with one another in a place where happiness can bloom.

In part III we finally return to Pi with everyone nine years older and in different times of their lives. The three cousins who started the book with us Mina, Rasi and Sanjay are older and ready to embark on their own life changing journeys that include creating their own families. Old ghosts are finally put to rest and the family is preparing to welcome in the next generation.

As Sweet as Honey is a beautifully written novel about love, loss and life in general. Some of the characters are very compelling (Meterling for example) and others we can only wish for more interaction (Mina for instance). Overall the book was enjoyable but I have to admit the shifts in country and narration are confusing at times. Just as we were getting into the groove with one story and one character we switch to another voice and another story altogether. While most of them fit together nicely some feel as if they are missing just a little something. Should you choose to read this book (and I highly recommend you do) make sure you have plenty of time to devout to the novel. It is not one that can be read quickly, you will lose so much of the poetry of the novel if you do.

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a tale of love, is interested in South Asian or English culture and even those who have a passion for classic novels (there are many illusions and direct quotes).

NOTE: I received this book from the publisher to review. In no way did that influence my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Novel Moments:
“I mean, we have such a conviction that tea will cure all ills, that all we ever really need is a good cup of tea.” (22)

“Only the first three mouthfuls will be good. You must relish them: its heat, its flavor. After that, you will drink only the memory of that first taste, until you drain the cup.” (30)

“Those first three sips said, Nalani when I told her what Meterling had told us, those first three sips are so precious to her because she lost Archer. That’s why she thinks the flavor can’t last to the last drop. Three sips and gone.” (31)

“Meterling was like a rose that kept blooming, long after everyone thought it couldn’t bloom anymore. Unfurling like a flag, like a song, like joy, like love itself.” (35)

“She savored early the idea of what could be left after the main show, what remained in the bowl.” (37)

“Isn’t that who we are at heart, a species that tells and doesn’t tell, keeps the heart and brain hidden, complicating our lives for the drama, so we don’t have to face the night?” (128)

[Cynthia Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: Indira is a friend of mine.

Indira Ganesan's sweet novel starts out slowly, with an introduction to the large family who lives on the island of Pi. But don't worry about understanding who's who; soon enough we fall in love with the characters, especially the focal point of the novel, Aunt Meterling, whose fortune goes from good to bad and good again in a short time.

Cleverly narrated from the point of view of one of the nieces, we get to lie around the family estate witnessing Aunt Meterling's brave response to the events that change her life. Ganesan evokes the smells and tastes of not India - Pi - leaving us craving mango and wedding sweets and fried treats that are served up to potential suitors who come visiting.

We're not long for Pi before we get to experience London with Meterling, discovering the uneasy lot of living as an immigrant far from the family bosom.

A luscious book, I slowed my reading toward the end because I didn't want to leave the sweetness of the story and its characters. This is the kind of book that makes you crave a sequel, because you want to know what happens next, and next, to the characters we come to love.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel is told from the perspective of Mina as a young girl looking up (quite literally) to her very tall Aunt Meterling, when it should be Meterling telling the story. It doesn't quite make sense for Mina to be such an omnipotent narrator, and her disclaimer that she's making things up doesn't help. The plot felt slow and longer than necessary; I couldn't help but wonder if it would work better as a short story.

[Connie]

...

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

slice of life set in a fictional island off of india. it seems to be first-person coming-of-age, and then randomly pivots to third-person immigrant struggles, then back to first-person family drama. i liked all of the kid’s narratives because it was endearing, reading about a big aunt grieving and her pregnancy or whatever. the first third of the book was bearable but it completely took a nosedive because now suddenly we are reading as the big aunt, in third person, in the same tone of the child. and the drama is just gaudy, the deceased father comes back as a ghost? really? glossing over all the immigrant struggles and parental issues for that? the aunt moves to england and has to learn a new language and raise a child and adjust to the new culture… there has to be at least a thousand better ways to write about grief than to turn it into a half-assed ghost story. the ending also pissed me off, it just read as if everyone’s fate is just to end up married (arranged or otherwise, but mostly arranged, except the aunt of course, who gets away with wedding a foreign white man, and then when he dies, his cousin!! gee!!) and living happily ever after. kittens and rainbows and sunshine. be so for real.

it’s pretty difficult to say much more: the writing is pretty stale, the plot is all over the place, and all of the adult characters are insufferable. if i squinted really hard i could see it being halfway realistic and a comfort novel for a subset of readers, akin to how a really dramatic soap opera still brings a bit of entertainment…i have not had the misfortune (nor the heart) to give a story one star since that one atrociously bad book by Simon Green but this one really tempted my patience. no sweeter than a lemon and as slow as molasses—1.5/5

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8
fictional island of Pi

p 144: The family had a habit of making everyone into a tall tale. Here, too, as Meterling looked around the park, stories could be made about the rheumy old man wrapped up in his red scarf, walking his schnauzer, erupting with great coughs, or the skinny woman in a nurse's uniform, checking her watch, smoking a cigarette.

Why didn't I ever do something like that with the kids!?! We could have picked out a person or an object from our surroundings and turned it into a story.

About the story ... it transports the reader to another world. This is the 3rd book I've read recently that's set in India (okay, this isn't India, but it's close enough) -- the first was about life in a slum, the second focused on an orphaned young man making his own way through life, and this one is about a close family, mainly female, who live on a tropical island born of "imagination and possibility." (Pi was conjured by Ganesan for her novels. Her Pi predates Martel's Life of Pi.)

In an interview, Ganesan said, "I think I invented a place like Pi so that I could play out a fantasy of living without boundaries. A place where the Western and Eastern sensibilities did not have to hide from each other, where there was a tolerance that came from what I understood of Indian independence." (bluetoadpublishing.co.uk)

This is not a plot-driven tale, but rather a look at a culture, idealized though it seems to be.

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stayed up too late last night because this book was interesting
& I was getting close to the end.
Lily & Paul had been a couple since the eighth grade when he
befriended her & other boys, especially Dan, called her names.
Dan called her Amtrac (she had braces) & Coke Bottle or Frog
Eyes because she had thick glasses. She didn't learn until much
later that he used the names endearingly as a way to get her
attention because Dan didn't think Lily knew he was even alive.
Paul was rude & always putting Lily down, was cheap, making
her pay for her dinner at his family's diner while he ate for free.
Lily didn't think she deserved anything better due to her low
self esteem--which Paul fed constantly.
At age 22, Dan begins to hang around the Honeybee farm,
working long hours at harvesting the honey crops. He did all
he could in an effort to get into Lily's good graces.
Paul hated Dan & his family & didn't want Lily to let Dan be on
their farm or anywhere near her.
Slowly, very slowly, Lily began to see Paul for what he really was
& Dan for the great guy he was.
The book is written with a lot of humor.

[Vi Vian · Rating 2 out of 5]

the book is a little long and draggy. i personally think that the same ending can be achieved in half the book itself. the first few chapters were nice. the pace of the introduction of characters, the writing style and the pace of the story. and suddenly, it was boring. there are hardly any climax or anticlimax. there are no ups or downs, just a constant never-ending babbling by mina and meterling. it was hard for me to finish the novel because it just got so boring at a point. however, this book should be nice for those who wants easy and relaxing reading. the book stresses on family values and it is comforting in a way that the characters in the book knows that they are surrounded by caring loving family and will always them to fall back on. not my cup of tea, but might be yours.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes you on an exotic journey through well crafted characters and a highly developed descriptive plotline that makes you feel as though you are traveling with them. Myself and the women of the local library book club thoroughly enjoyed this novel to the point of unanimously hoping that Ms. Ganesan will write a sequel treating us to an expansion of what becomes of the members of this close knit family ( especially the younger ones ). It inspired a lot of lively discussions within the group so I recommend it for your club as well. Overall if you are looking for a book that is capable of intriguing you,entertaining you and making you think all in one swoop this is the one to read. Looking forward to more stories by this author in the future.

[Aishwarya Damodar · Rating 2 out of 5]

As Sweet As Honey by Indira Ganesa is the story of a family living on the island of Pi. It is an unusual kind of a novel. I do not quite understand why Mina was chosen as the narrator when it should have been Meterling who incidentally is the protagonist. Mina does not contribute anywhere in terms of how her character is shaped in the story. The narration felt slow and many chapters unwanted. Nevertheless, the folklore of Pi and the childhood memories are a delight.

It would have been better if the editing was crispier and the novel was written as a short story.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is like sitting in a cozy chair on a rainy day and soaking in the bliss.

A hidden gem of a novel! This story by Ganesan is about a family - the cousins, the Aunts and Uncles, a Grandmother - wish one particular Aunt at the center, Aunt Meterling. Told from the perspective of Mina, one of the 10 year old cousins, it truly encompasses childhood's observations of surrounding family - their ways and supposed feelings, their dreams and teachings. I really enjoyed how Ganesan brought these soft characters to life. Story opens with a wedding as Aunt Meterling marries a man who is destined to not be her husband for long. Yet Meterling finds love again and the reader follows her life more towards the second half of the book. Mina is more central to the first part of the book and truly has an eye on her family as she shares everything she knows and feels and assumes with you, the reader. Such a delight!

[R.L.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent book, with lyrical prose and great world building. I love all the strong female characters, and I enjoy the cross-cultural love story (stories).

I ending wasn't entirely satisfying to me--it felt more like a stop than a true resolution, but as it feels similar to the endings of other books I've read by South Asian authors, I wonder if my expectations of endings are just too American.

Despite my feelings about the ending, I really loved this book, and would recommend it.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book has nice prose and atmosphere, but the plot never really goes anywhere. Nor does the character development. There are a few little things that happen and a few conversations, but I feel like I never got a feel for the purpose or idea behind any of it. I don’t know anyone better at the end than at the beginning. The set up of the pregnant widow seemed to have such dramatic potential, but somehow….meh. It was squandered.

[GenevieveAudrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was about Meterling, from a family living on the mythical island of Pi, and is narrated by her niece, Mina. It starts slow and meanders languidly through Meterling's life on Pi and London and the ups and downs she faces. I liked this well enough (especially the descriptions of the island and the food) although, admittedly, there were bits of it that felt ponderous. But still, a quaint and relaxing read.

[Hema · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a very plain story about the life on an island and then in England. The authors work was plain and the narration was in PoV. I found it a bit sluggish and wanted to abandon halfway through. Just to make things a bit interesting a ghost was pitched in. But that still doesn't change the flow of the story. Though it was a story which I could easily relate to, I found it lacking in pace and the plot (well there wasn't one) was entirely soap opera. I would give this one a miss.

[Mishelle Beagle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I devoured this because of the sweet characters and twists in the clash of cultures but a willingness to accept and welcome differences is shown more in some than in others. Arranged marriages, unconventional marriages, that fascinating (to me) Indian food and struggles through hard times combine to make a touching story. There's a dreamy quality that hooked me in.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet characters - slooooowwwww plot.

[Michelle D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the characters, the detailed descriptions, and the style of writing.
Disliked how long and drawn out the story was. Made it hard to pick up this book and read.

[Lynette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A family tale soaked in sweetness

I felt embraced by the large & loving Meterling from the island of Pi and all those who loved her back.

[Bennett Beisbier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenging at the start because the direction of the narrative is unclear, but after a few chapters it envelopes you into their world. Magical read!

[Sangeeta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before I chose this book to read, I had read comparisons on Goodreads that Ganesan's works compare to the likes of Arundhati Roy's -- so without a doubt, I had to see for myself if this was true. While I enjoyed most of the prose in this novel and understand why it fairs with Arundhati Roy's style in God Of Small Things (childhood perspective, poetic prose, ect.), I don't think that it is comparable entirely. I enjoyed the writing style but the plot was terribly lacking. I had expected something of great consequence to happen, something to tie all of the various events in the novel into one common thread/theme. Perhaps I am simply lacking insight but I finished reading the novel with a sense of confusion and incompletion. While the "climatic event" was reposed many chapters before the end of the book, the narrator goes on to mention her cousin's wedding and -- wait, what? So? Rasi's characterization (IMO) has no relevance to the overall plot about Meterling's love triangle so why would the reader even care? I kept reading because I thought there would be some relevance. The fact that the story is being told from Mina's perspective creates a limitation also, where we can't actually dig into Meterling's mind to understand how she, herself, has found resolve with her own guilt (among other things). That, as a reader, was disappointing for me because I invest a certain amount of time, energy and interest in reading through an entire book. It had so much potential for a better rating but since I have actually finished through it, I don't like it quite as much anymore. Who likes to be left hanging (especially when the hanging doesn't actually make you think about what you just read)?

Edit: I also wanted to add something I was thinking to myself while reading through this book: the narrator's sense of humour is charming.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 3.5 stars. I found this book compulsively readable. It was sent to me to review for my honest opinion, so here goes... It reminded me of someone talking to the reader who has ADHD. Just when you think you are tracking with the story line, it goes off on another tangent. At the same time there were so many cultural elements, foods, and interpersonal issues in the book, I couldn't help being interested. Some of the cultural stuff I got a bit lost with (like the legends related to Indian culture) but overall, I found it hard to put down.

The writing was interesting, and at times beautiful. The point of view was a bit convoluted because it seemed like most of story was being told by Mina, but at the same time it was impossible for her to be some of the places with Meterling. So she was sort of an omniscient POV, but not completely. I've never read a book quite like it. Once in awhile the author slipped in Simon's point of view, too. So while it was a tad odd to follow, I got used to it soon enough. The ghost thing was exceptionally weird, but again, still interesting.

Clearly this story was fiction, but I enjoyed reading it for the most part. I was never bored. Not once. Confused, maybe. But not bored. So for that, I give it four stars, but overall it was more of a three and a half star book. Three was nothing remotely Judeo-Christian about this book, but it was not offensive to me. I feel like I learned something about people from the Island of Pi in the Indian Ocean who did not like being referred to as people from India, but at the same time they were part of that culture. Kind of like people from Hawaii being American, but Polynesian at the same time. I enjoy learning about cultures I know very little about.

[Evelynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the usual kind of book I read, but Random House was kind enough to give me a free review copy.

I found it to be a very well written, gentle read and did enjoy it. I personally wasn't very familiar with the culture of South Asia, but I felt the author did an excellent job of making it comprehensible to an outsider without over explaining. It was easy to become drawn into Meterling's world on Pi and understand the expectations that were on her as well as to understand the consequences her decisions might have. As I am not from that culture, the importance placed on, for example, compatible horoscopes in marriage partners is foreign to me, but due to the excellent writing, I could easily understand its impact within Meterling's family.

This is also a book of well-drawn contrasts and conflicts. I found it interesting to compare and contrast the viewpoint of the children to Meterling's situation to Meterling's own thoughts. A nice contrast is also set up between the colour, warmth and friendliness of Pi and the cold, greyness of London. This ties in well to Meterling's emotional state at the time as she attempts to deal with the aftermath of the decisions she's made.

The theme of adhering to traditions and society's expectations vs following your heart is nicely explored through several of the characters and was, for me, one of the strongest aspects of the novel. It is turned around at the end as well in a neat twist.

Personally, I didn't enjoy the Archer ghost storyline and this was for me the weakest part of the book. However, I could understand its significance and impact on Meterling.

All in all, I found this a gentle, easy read and enjoyed it. I gave As Sweet as Honey four stars out of five.