This Red Line Goes Straight to Your Heart: A Memoir in Halves

by Madhur Anand, Ellora Patnaik (Narrator), Asha Vijayasingham (Narrator)

We begin with a man off balance: one in one thousand, the only child in town whose polio leads to partial paralysis. We meet his future wife, chanting Hai Rams for Gandhiji and choosing education over marriage. On one side of the line that divides this book, we follow them as their homeland splits in two and they are drawn together, moving to Canada and raising their children in mining towns and in crowded city apartments. And when we turn the book over, we find the daughter's tale—we see how the rupture of Partition, the asymmetry of a father's leg, the virus of a mother's rage, makes its way to the next generation.

Told through the lenses of biology, physics, history and poetry, this is a memoir that defies form and convention to immerse the reader in the feeling of what remains when we've heard as much of the truth as our families will allow, and we're left to search for ourselves among the pieces they've carried with them.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Canada, Biography Memoir, India

11 pages, Audiobook

First published June 30, 2020

About the author

Madhur Anand's debut book of creative nonfiction "This Red Line Goes Straight to Your Heart" (2020) won the Governor General's Literary Award for Nonfiction. Her debut collection of poems "A New Index for Predicting Catastrophes" (2015) was a finalist for the Trillium Book Award for Poetry and named one of 10 all-time "trailblazing" poetry collections by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Her second collection of poems "Parasitic Oscillations" (2022) was also a finalist for the Trillium Award for Poetry and named a Globe and Mail Top 100 Book. "To Place a Rabbit"(Knopf Canada) is her first novel. She is a professor and the director of the Global Ecological Change and Sustainability Laboratory at the University of Guelph, Ontario.

Reviews

[Enid Wray · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story presented in a unique fashion… I liked the physical structure of the book, and the creative presentation.

Being a fan of Rohinton Mistry, Anita Rau Badami, Arundhati Roy - and oh so many others - I thoroughly enjoyed reading, and learning more, about India at the time of partition. I also appreciated the interesting parallels drawn to the Canadian situation and circumstance - re our treatment of both indigenous people and more recent immigrants. Additionally, the way in which science - physics in particular - is interwoven into the narrative as both story unto itself and by way of explanation of events was also interesting.

Notwithstanding all of the above, I found myself slogging to read this. The writing was flat, emotionless, and I found it virtually impossible to distinguish between the various voices. I also found the narrative to be very disjointed, leaving my feeling that much was left unaddressed and unexplained. I was left feeling only partially sated.

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Red Line Goes Straight to Your Heart: A Memoir in Halves by Madhur Anand is a beautifully written memoir mixing a family's history with art and science and producing a fascinating and highly readable memoir. It is marked by partitions in country between India and Pakistan, in family between husband and wife, between wife and husband's family, and between parents born in the Punjab and their daughter born in Canada, in memory, religion, and in art and science when love and grief intersect and collide.

It is a complex story about a family that I found easy to care for and to sympathize with. My only quibble was the ending that seemed abrupt but perhaps that was because I was not ready to say goodbye. I don't read a lot of memoirs but this is one I know I will add to my very short list of books that I will read many many times.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

[Kokeshi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half was really very good, but, for me, it devolved when the navel gazing began.

[Bookworm Adventure Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This memoir by Madhur Anand is written differently than any other memoir I've read. I like that it is described as being a memoir in halves as the story is told alternating between a man and a woman. This Red Line Goes Straight to Your Heart begins in Delhi, India. The Partition of India in 1947 has separated India into two separate states, India and Pakistan. Many families were displaced refugees.

We first meet a man telling of his childhood. A life made more difficult because of polio which left him with a limp and made him the target of ridicule and teasing even by his own family. Despite that he is very intelligent especially in math and science. He eventually gets a visa to move to Canada, but he must marry first.

We meet a young woman interested in science who is choosing education and work over marriage until she actually does get married which will mean changinher life forever.

As this man and his wife, Nirmal are united in Canada in the late 1960's, over a year after their wedding, we journey with them as they adjust to a new life, - the culture, food, jobs and weather. Not to mention a new marriage with someone who is virtually a stranger and a growing family.

This memoir touched upon a lot of themes. It is about family, marriage, loss, grief, loneliness, mental illness, racism, immigration and overcoming obstacles.

There were some beautiful prose in the writing; some phrases were poetic. Throughout the story, scientific or mathematical explanations were made which I found distracting. There were gaps in the story, which might be because there are gaps in the knowledge of family history, but there is definitely room to explore more here. Since it was told by two different points of view, there were times something would be mentioned by one person then never be referred to or brought up again. Some of it seemed significant and it felt like there were some loose ends.

I enjoyed learning of the traditions of India and comparing that to Canada. There were some interesting parallels drawn between the partition in India and the partition that exists in Canada between white and indigenous peoples. As some of the book takes place near Thunder Bay there was some less well known Canadian history touched upon I thought noteworthy which is the prisoner of war internment camps near Marathon, ON that existed in the 1940's. As a Canadian, I don't think too many people know that part of our history.

There is a lot to take away from this memoir and if Madhur Anand writes anymore non-fiction or fiction, I would check it out.

Bookworm Rating: 🐛🐛🐛🌱


Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

[Kate Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the honour of blurbing this book. This is what I wrote:

“I loved this book for its lyricism, ideas, brilliant refusal of symmetry. I've never read anything like it.”

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this memoir. I had to work to understand some of it, which I value in a book. There were quite a few science and psychology references I looked up as I read it. I feel I learned some interesting concepts. And so I am glad I read this book. The Red Line can refer to the boundary between Pakistan and India at Partition.
But more as well.
It is very beautifully written, and I was sorry when it ended.
The author is a scientist as well a poet.

[Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Red Line Goes Straight to Your Heart sparkles and surprises throughout, a wonderful amalgam of thought and emotion, of family, story, science and the poetry of language.

[Sarah (more.books.than.days) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Madhur Anand begins her memoir with two covers. This moment of discovery, this is a story split in halves; the first tantalizing taste of what is to come. It feels as if she places your hands on a thread and beckons you to follow where it leads. You find yourself peering into a story from one angle, and then another, questioning the assymetry... What is truth and what is telling? All while wondering at the beauty, sorrow and scope revealed, but also at that which so obviously remains hidden. Part memoir, part personal exploration, it is a work of melding and experimenting to create something far beyond simply a piece of non-fiction.

[Rammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

First half was excellent: really interesting biography from the differing perspectives of husband and wife post-partition. Second half was atrocious: it wasn't clear why the daughter's memoir, the who wrote the "memoir in halves", was worth reading. Buried deep in the jumbled mess of physics info (why though?) and poetry were snippets of her life growing up with two parents who lived through and were impacted by the partition of India but the effect was definitely lost on me.

I think more poetry-inclined readers would enjoy this book.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars - I really enjoyed the first half of this story, where the author's parents were the main focus, but once I flipped to the other part of the book I lost interest. I feel like maybe I didn't quite grasp the full impact of the book having no previous knowledge or understanding of the partition of India and Pakistan. Also all of the parts in the book that would talk about physics and math would completely lose me.

[Jackie]

VERY many thoughts. this is half-finished.

AN unrelated metaphor to stay on brand. the memoir as an animation. sequence of frames. one frame after another which together tell a story. science/art/history -> endless depths made equal on the flat page. concepts and anecdotes and knowledge layered like cels. sketch / ink / edit / render. Rotoscope that shit. Produce it non linearly. each image physically unlike its subject but also as close a likeliness as possible for the medium. r experience of the past -> author captures image of the past -> writes in present (our past) -> reader experiences in present (author future). it's all there always has been. this is vague(ly nonsensical). i'll rewrite later.

ANYWAY i enjoyed the first sections more than the latter ones though they were still educational/informative/beautiful in their own way. marrying poetic prose + actual verse + historical, biographic accounts of her parents + play-by-plays of her career etc + lots lots lots LOTS of specific STEM concepts -> novel. her own life serves as the confluence at which these elements all meet soooo why not refract that into a single text? it worked for me -- mostly. some of her poetry i didn't care for lol. felt weird to have some sections seemingly built off her old published works. going into detail about how this poem was selected etc but you just have MORE to add... felt extraneous superfluous etc.

WHEN does a memoir turn navel-gazey? i don't read enough to triangulate a good answer. actually i think she might have even touched upon this but obviously it did not resonant in the actual content of this work if i can't even remember. i just so preferred the sections on her parents. i don't have time to unpack all that but know that i could. relates to the personal tragedies partition brought about. the individual, societal etc -- and how it is felt over seas - time - generations. the ecology stuff was cool. some bits read like tweets to me. enough about the curtains in your childhood bedroom!!

WOULD recommend giving a try! again as far as memoirs go i liked it. i'm happy to read more canadian women as usual lol.

[Barbara Sibbald]

How did I miss this when it won the 2020 GG for nonfiction? Its topics -- memoir and India -- are precisely what my (as yet unpublished) novel, "Almost English," is about. But fast forward a century and set in India and Canada. We've also both adopted other ways of storytelling.

Her book is split into two halves (with a physical flip like Carol Shield's "Happenstance"). Part one concerns her parents, who endured the hell of Partition and eventually immigrated from Punjab to Canada in the late 1960s. Their marriage is fraught almost from the start; in today's parlance, he could be called emotionally abusive. He's also mostly the breadwinner, as a teacher initially in Northern Ontario towns, though both are highly educated in the sciences and she eventually comes into her own. The chapters alternate between this husband and wife, and so a very interesting picture emerges. Part two is from their daughter's perspective, who is also a scientist (ecology), as she wrangles with her heritage (and its cultural expectations) and pursues a career as a professor. Both parts are remarkable in their imaginative insertion of science which serves to bolster the text (often through metaphor).

Anand explains how the split narrative came about: "I tried to become them - to walk in their shoes, to put on their shoes, to wear their coats. Because of that, my own stories crept in. That became the second part of the book."

Anand is an expert storyteller, even in recounting moralistic tales from her mother's grade six textbook "Today and Tomorrow" (p 22), but more particularly in providing the minutiae of lives lives.
But she's also a scientist and so we are treated to theories and formulas, as she melds science to literature, which is both remarkable and, in this case, apt. More importantly, it's done seamlessly and beautifully.
There's lots of admire here.

[Ruth Seeley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I consider this a hybrid memoir in the same vein as Doris Lessing's Alfred and Emily, which includes both a straightforward account of her parents' lives as well as an imagined life. So interesting from that point of view. I'm not sure why the publisher, editor, author and designer decided to print one half of the book upside down from the other and not make it clear that you really do need to read the half called "The First Partition" first and the section entitled "The Second Partition" second. I was completely bewildered and started reading one half while having lunch, transported the book home, inadvertently turned it upside down, couldn't figure out why I was back, seemingly, at the beginning when I was sure I'd read seven or eight pages. So that's one thing - bit of an unnecessary parlour trick.

But my main objection, as many other readers' reviews mention, is that "The Second Partition" can't hold a candle to the writing in (or subject matter of) "The First Partition." Very disappointed in this one - so disappointed I'm not even going to bother trying to find any author interviews that might illuminate the odd design process. Oh and really - quoting your own tweets in a memoir? Get outta town. An author in love with the sound of her own voice, ultimately. (And a gutless editor who should have sent this back for a major, major, major rewrite.)

[Snehil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't give the book 3 stars that I wanted to. It's not the book's fault that I am not left-brained enough to understand physics; I am not right-brained enough to appreciate poetry unless it has been converted into a beautiful song.
I had an impression that the book was about the partition of India. It was to some extent in the first half of the book. Even though I enjoyed reading the second part more because I was able to understand some of the physics and poetry in this part, I am not sure if I could clearly understand its connection with the partition. Maybe the connection was lost on me because of my limited understanding of poetry and physics. I felt at times "how are the two connected, the story and the poetic or physics references brought in?" The author went on to talk about apophenia, the spontaneous perception of connections and meaningfulness in unrelated phenomena, which is an addiction. I feel that the book if not the author suffered from apophenia.
The story itself was engaging.

[Karis Dimas-Lehndorf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please go read this book. I feel like I can’t form my thoughts into words about this book. This is a generational memoir that looks at Anand’s family as they immigrate to Canada from India and they seek to find their place in their communities. Half of this book is written from The perspective of her parents and deals with the relational complications that result from diasporic trauma and it made me cry thinking about my own parents em though their stories are very different. The other half is about Madhur’s own life and her learning to reconnect to her culture and find grace for her parents. The book can be started from either end and its physical layout is split and rotated to mimic the fracturing that is seen in the text from the partition of India to breakdowns in relationships. This memoir is so remarkably thoughtful and the prose is stunning. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

[Elizabeth Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book such an interesting book to read and I always felt I was in the presence of a truly original writer and thinker. My only problem for me dealt with the science. I did not understand and I was always afraid that I was missing something in the story that was illustrated by the experimentS or the formulas and that therefore I was missing something in the story of the daughter. I know that rereading would not help me understand because 16 years of education didn’t help me. As a result I often felt there was something disjointed in the memories and reflections. But I always felt the fault was in me and not the author. I did enjoy the parents story immensely.

But on the whole, as I said, I knew I was in the presence of a great writer and mind.

[Ralph Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished reading “This Red Line ..” this week. I appreciate how you shared scientific, esoteric, artistic, emotional and personal insights all while being a wry observer reporting to me as a reader. I’m guessing it might have been tempting to indulge in more emotionally dramatic writing when being triggered by family stories. I felt respected as a reader and was left to my own reactions and reflections that often linked to events in my life. This is a well written book. Thank-you for your research and thoughtfulness, written to enrich other lives too. Sincerely, Ralph Martin

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt very excited about the stories in this book - partition/immigration and also by the interesting structure to the book and the use of theortical physics to put some other structure around the story - however by the final 3rd of the book it started to feel a bit gimiky and I was wanting a bit more depth to the story. Also the second half of the memoir feels more disjointed and I found it difficult to stay connected to the story - perhaps it would have been better as a collection of poems than a novel.

[Christy MacCallum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Linking pieces of stories together with scattered patterns - asymmetry, domestic abuse, physics, plants, water, eating disorders - to create a partially formed picture of generational lives intersecting. It’s left me in a mild existential crisis wondering if who are isn’t just the sum of the results of those who came before us? And if understanding those people can help us understand who we are and what we are doing here?

[Danielle Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was experiencing a month long good book drought until I opened these pages. The voice is so humble and unassuming with its fragility lying just underneath a layer of inquisition. I love the way it’s written, each event and thought is presented in a straightforward fashion but with exactly the right amount of detail to stir the imagination of the reader.

[Abby Hurt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Theme: Asymmetry

I started the first partition feeling sad for Anand’s parents; I ended just feeling sad. I did learn quite a bit about Partition; however, which I knew nothing about previously.

The second partition was harder to follow, and didn’t hold my attention as well as the first.

I enjoyed the unique formatting of this book.

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poetic memoir from the perspective of a first generation and second generation Canadian Indian family. A feminist perspective on family, changing values, patriarchy, culture, racism, and sexism. Madhur Anand's writing is intelligent, raw, beautiful and and poetic.

[Polly Krize · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Basically a memoir of a Canadian/Indian's family on partition and how it affected their lives. I found the writing disjointed and sometimes ungrammatical. Not a book I would purchase. Only my opinion.

[Thomas Bury · Rating 5 out of 5]

A touching account that delves into the lives of a family struck by Partition, told through the lens of science and poetry. Packed full of intriguing analogies between fundamental science and the events that unfold. A very unique and thought-provoking read.

[Janet Mercer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book written in two halves, the first half was quite interesting, the second part seemed like a jumble of unconnected ramblings. Parts that connected back to the authors upbringing and her parents were interesting, the rest was challenging to navigate.

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really my kind of book.

Not particularly anything I liked too much.

A bit like Heaven, but that book was much better.

2.4/5

[Heather B]

It was an interesting format - first half written from her father's perspective and the 2nd from her's - you actually flip the book around. ...twice I got caught reading the wrong section...
A mix of science and poetry woven into the story...I didn't find it an easy read, but worth reading.

[Katina Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful meditation on identity, rupture, relationship. I first came across Anand through an episode of the Ologies podcast, one called Theoretical and Creative Ecology, which immediately drew me in. Anand’s braided work as an ecologist and a poet is apparent all through this memoir.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever and compelling. Well done.

[Banuta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Challenging, beautiful, eloquent, the kind of memoir that fascinates because it interweaves, it drops threads, the author speaks from the heart where that red line goes.