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The Parted Earth
In August 1947, 16-year-old Deepa’s life in New Delhi begins to unravel in the days leading up to the birth of the Muslim minority nation of Pakistan and the Hindu majority nation of India. Her secret Muslim boyfriend Amir, who sends her origami love notes, must now flee with his sister Layla and their parents to Lahore, Pakistan. Amir promises to return to Delhi to marry Deepa after the violence of Partition has ended. Soon after Amir’s departure, Deepa’s parents are killed. Her God-parents, fearful that Deepa is in grave danger, force her to move with them to London. Nine months later, Deepa gives birth to Vijay. She never sees or hears from Amir again.
After a devastating miscarriage in Atlanta in the present day, 40-year-old newly unemployed Shanthi (“Shan”) Johnson must confront her husband Max about his reckless spending. While grieving both her pregnancy loss and her marriage’s subsequent implosion, she finds clues that lead her to believe that the real reason her deceased father Vijay had abandoned her and her mother 30 years earlier to move to New Delhi was because he was in search of his father, a man he’d never known. To kickstart her life again, Shan moves out of her marital home, searches for a new job, and resumes her father’s search for her grandfather, whose name, she later learns, is Amir. To find Amir, Shan must first track down her estranged 86-year-old grandmother Deepa, a prickly woman who never wanted to have anything to do with Shan. During Shan's search, which eventually takes her to Amsterdam and New Delhi, she comes to realize that the origami love notes Amir once sent to Deepa may be the clue to their reunion.
After a devastating miscarriage in Atlanta in the present day, 40-year-old newly unemployed Shanthi (“Shan”) Johnson must confront her husband Max about his reckless spending. While grieving both her pregnancy loss and her marriage’s subsequent implosion, she finds clues that lead her to believe that the real reason her deceased father Vijay had abandoned her and her mother 30 years earlier to move to New Delhi was because he was in search of his father, a man he’d never known. To kickstart her life again, Shan moves out of her marital home, searches for a new job, and resumes her father’s search for her grandfather, whose name, she later learns, is Amir. To find Amir, Shan must first track down her estranged 86-year-old grandmother Deepa, a prickly woman who never wanted to have anything to do with Shan. During Shan's search, which eventually takes her to Amsterdam and New Delhi, she comes to realize that the origami love notes Amir once sent to Deepa may be the clue to their reunion.
273 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 4, 2021
106 people are currently reading
6065 people want to read
About the author
Anjali Enjeti
5 books80 followersAnjali Enjeti is a former attorney, organizer, and award-winning journalist based near Atlanta. Her collection of essays, Southbound: Essays on Identity, Inheritance, and Social Change, and her debut novel The Parted Earth will be published in the spring of 2021.
Her writing about politics, social justice, and books has appeared in Harper’s BAZAAR, ZORA, Courier Newsroom, Mic, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Washington Post, Al Jazeera, The Nation, and elsewhere. Her work has received awards from the South Asian Journalists Association and the American Society of Journalists and Authors. A graduate of Duke University, Washington University School of Law, and the MFA program at Queens University in Charlotte, she teaches creative writing in the MFA program at Reinhardt University.
Since 2017, Anjali has been working to get out the vote in Georgia’s Asian American and Pacific Islander community. In 2019, she co-founded the Georgia chapter of They See Blue, an organization for South Asian Democrats. In the fall of 2020, she served on the Georgia Asian American and Pacific Islander Leadership Council for the Biden Harris campaign. A poll worker for Fulton County, she lives with her family outside of Atlanta.
Her writing about politics, social justice, and books has appeared in Harper’s BAZAAR, ZORA, Courier Newsroom, Mic, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Washington Post, Al Jazeera, The Nation, and elsewhere. Her work has received awards from the South Asian Journalists Association and the American Society of Journalists and Authors. A graduate of Duke University, Washington University School of Law, and the MFA program at Queens University in Charlotte, she teaches creative writing in the MFA program at Reinhardt University.
Since 2017, Anjali has been working to get out the vote in Georgia’s Asian American and Pacific Islander community. In 2019, she co-founded the Georgia chapter of They See Blue, an organization for South Asian Democrats. In the fall of 2020, she served on the Georgia Asian American and Pacific Islander Leadership Council for the Biden Harris campaign. A poll worker for Fulton County, she lives with her family outside of Atlanta.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 299 reviews
October 20, 2022
a good idea that could have had a narrative full of both heart and hurt, but its just too short and shallow to explore either feeling effectively. the writing just didnt pack the necessary punch this kind of story needs, im afraid.
and although i think the story was told poorly, i cant stop thinking about the story itself. ughhh. it had so much potential. i love multi-generational tales and the backdrop of partition is a time period/event that isnt written about very often, so i was super excited for this. but the narrative just doesnt do the story justice, unfortunately.
such a shame.
↠ 3 stars
and although i think the story was told poorly, i cant stop thinking about the story itself. ughhh. it had so much potential. i love multi-generational tales and the backdrop of partition is a time period/event that isnt written about very often, so i was super excited for this. but the narrative just doesnt do the story justice, unfortunately.
such a shame.
↠ 3 stars
July 14, 2021
Shallow piece of work that uses the backdrop and the forces unleashed by the 1947 partition of India but does it so carelessly and with such a lack of depth that it’s almost insulting. The characters while seemingly broken have little depth or insight into their own grief. There’s a larger plot but it unveils itself with a flat thud. The key characters are shown to grieve and recover almost too easily and without reflection. One woman discovers the reason for her husband’s grief that led to his suicide and feels recovered - a hardly credible or psychologically realistic reaction given how horrific the truth is!
There are basic even anachronistic errors in the book that seem ridiculously careless. The first chapter has a character called “mamaji” who appears out of nowhere, never to be heard from again. Then terms like “sari skirt” (just sari please), “12th class” (nobody used terms like 12th in that era - it used to be “intermediate”) and dialog such as “have a nice afternoon” out of the mouth of a teenager in that time/place show lack of knowledge and research or worse - poor attention to detail. Besides a bungalow purchased from the British would never be located in the heart of a city/ market’s hustle bustle. The author has not researched even the basics.
All of this rang so untrue that it made the novel hard to buy and its caricature characters hard to empathize with.
Amazed at how such poorly researched, shallowly written novels arrive with so much noise. Not just this one. It’s everywhere. But then we are in the era where signal to noise ratio diminishes by the minute! If you want to learn about India’s partition and what trans generational trauma really looks like, please read other work.
There are basic even anachronistic errors in the book that seem ridiculously careless. The first chapter has a character called “mamaji” who appears out of nowhere, never to be heard from again. Then terms like “sari skirt” (just sari please), “12th class” (nobody used terms like 12th in that era - it used to be “intermediate”) and dialog such as “have a nice afternoon” out of the mouth of a teenager in that time/place show lack of knowledge and research or worse - poor attention to detail. Besides a bungalow purchased from the British would never be located in the heart of a city/ market’s hustle bustle. The author has not researched even the basics.
All of this rang so untrue that it made the novel hard to buy and its caricature characters hard to empathize with.
Amazed at how such poorly researched, shallowly written novels arrive with so much noise. Not just this one. It’s everywhere. But then we are in the era where signal to noise ratio diminishes by the minute! If you want to learn about India’s partition and what trans generational trauma really looks like, please read other work.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2021
I picked up this book with great expectations from the library’s new fiction shelf. A book on partition featured in a library in NYC. Must be good or so, I thought. Sadly despite the author’s excellent credentials and acknowledgements the book comes across as if it has been written by a second gen Indian American with barely any research on life in pre-partition Punjabi families in Delhi.
One thing that always has me gritting my teeth when reading historical fiction set in India is the absolute lack of knowledge of just how curtailed women’s rights were before independence. India despite its mega cities still has a long way to go in the realm of women’s rights and a lot of Indian American writers who grew up in the states just don’t get it. They tend to equate it with how women had to live in the 40s in the west (yes, not a lot of freedom). This was still a lot more rights than an Indian woman from a middle class household could even dream of in the 1940s in india. They also underestimate the sexual restrictions and repression of the age as well as the consequences of being exposed after having had a premarital relationship. The extent of the male gaze is also mostly underplayed and the patriarchal community watchdog lens is given a protective vibe as opposed to the oppressive force that it really is. While it is great to see Indian American writers mining their histories, it is unfortunate to see scant importance being given to true research which is not that hard as India and her society during the times of the British and the partition are quite well documented.
At the very least, I would expect a writer to know that no punjabi family in Delhi is going to eat sambaar, with alu mattar and raita in the 1940s. And if they are - that has a back story which the reader needs to know about.
It’s like someone saying the white American family in Alabama ate quesadillas and burritos with toast and jam in the 1900s. They could have but would they have?
Other things that annoyed me -
The author refers to her mother’s movements to be as graceful as movements from Carnatic Dance. Only there is nothing known as Carnatic Dance, Only Carnatic music that accompanies classical dance in india.
No one gets fed spoonfuls of Sambar while they are recuperating. Sambaar is not rasam. And both of these would not be made by a punjabi house keeper living in the outskirts of Delhi in the 1940s. They are South Indian dishes as a basic google search would inform the author.
She keeps referring to story as vaguely set in Delhi as if Delhi is not a concentric warren of a city with each neighborhood being a distinct ecosystem in itself. It’s like a story set in NYC with zero reference to the borough the characters are from. Where in Delhi does this happen? Why is the setting so vague with generalized descriptions of an “exotic Indian market”?
There is a line in the book on page 142 - “Origin stories, she found, rarely had any truth to them. No matter. She didn’t need authenticity to appreciate the set.”
Sadly, this seems to be the underlying principle behind this book.
One thing that always has me gritting my teeth when reading historical fiction set in India is the absolute lack of knowledge of just how curtailed women’s rights were before independence. India despite its mega cities still has a long way to go in the realm of women’s rights and a lot of Indian American writers who grew up in the states just don’t get it. They tend to equate it with how women had to live in the 40s in the west (yes, not a lot of freedom). This was still a lot more rights than an Indian woman from a middle class household could even dream of in the 1940s in india. They also underestimate the sexual restrictions and repression of the age as well as the consequences of being exposed after having had a premarital relationship. The extent of the male gaze is also mostly underplayed and the patriarchal community watchdog lens is given a protective vibe as opposed to the oppressive force that it really is. While it is great to see Indian American writers mining their histories, it is unfortunate to see scant importance being given to true research which is not that hard as India and her society during the times of the British and the partition are quite well documented.
At the very least, I would expect a writer to know that no punjabi family in Delhi is going to eat sambaar, with alu mattar and raita in the 1940s. And if they are - that has a back story which the reader needs to know about.
It’s like someone saying the white American family in Alabama ate quesadillas and burritos with toast and jam in the 1900s. They could have but would they have?
Other things that annoyed me -
The author refers to her mother’s movements to be as graceful as movements from Carnatic Dance. Only there is nothing known as Carnatic Dance, Only Carnatic music that accompanies classical dance in india.
No one gets fed spoonfuls of Sambar while they are recuperating. Sambaar is not rasam. And both of these would not be made by a punjabi house keeper living in the outskirts of Delhi in the 1940s. They are South Indian dishes as a basic google search would inform the author.
She keeps referring to story as vaguely set in Delhi as if Delhi is not a concentric warren of a city with each neighborhood being a distinct ecosystem in itself. It’s like a story set in NYC with zero reference to the borough the characters are from. Where in Delhi does this happen? Why is the setting so vague with generalized descriptions of an “exotic Indian market”?
There is a line in the book on page 142 - “Origin stories, she found, rarely had any truth to them. No matter. She didn’t need authenticity to appreciate the set.”
Sadly, this seems to be the underlying principle behind this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2021
The AMERIE'S BOOK CLUB selection for August 2021 THE PARTED EARTH by Anjali Enjeti!
The Parted Earth is as beautiful a story as it is painful, with characters so intimately drawn they could be your family members, your friends, your neighbors. With unflinching honesty and great empathy—as well as a series of perfectly-timed reveals—Anjali Enjeti weaves an unforgettable saga of love and heartbreak, hope and redemption. This book is a treasure.
📚
#AmeriesBookClub #ReadwithAmerie #ABC #AnjaliEnjeti #ThePartedEarth @AmeriesBookClub
ABOUT ANJALI ENJETI
Anjali Enjeti is a former attorney, organizer, and award-winning journalist based near Atlanta. She is the author of Southbound: Essays on Identity, Inheritance, and Social Change, and the debut novel, The Parted Earth.
Her writing about politics, social justice, and books has appeared in USA Today, Harper’s BAZAAR, Courier Newsroom, Mic, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Publisher’s Weekly, ZORA, and elsewhere. Since 2017, she has been working to get out the vote in Georgia’s AAPI community. In 2019, she co-founded the Georgia chapter of They See Blue, an organization for South Asian Democrats. In the fall of 2020, she served on the Georgia AAPI Leadership Council for the Biden Harris campaign. A former board member of the National Book Critics Circle, she is the recipient of awards from the South Asian Journalists Association and the American Society of Journalists and Authors, as well as residencies from the Hambidge Center, Sundress Academy of the Arts, and Wildacres. She was also nominated to Good Morning America’s 2021 Asian American and Pacific Islander Inspiration List.
A graduate of Duke University, Washington University School of Law, and the MFA program at Queens University in Charlotte, she teaches creative writing in the MFA program at Reinhardt University.
The Parted Earth is as beautiful a story as it is painful, with characters so intimately drawn they could be your family members, your friends, your neighbors. With unflinching honesty and great empathy—as well as a series of perfectly-timed reveals—Anjali Enjeti weaves an unforgettable saga of love and heartbreak, hope and redemption. This book is a treasure.
📚
#AmeriesBookClub #ReadwithAmerie #ABC #AnjaliEnjeti #ThePartedEarth @AmeriesBookClub
ABOUT ANJALI ENJETI
Anjali Enjeti is a former attorney, organizer, and award-winning journalist based near Atlanta. She is the author of Southbound: Essays on Identity, Inheritance, and Social Change, and the debut novel, The Parted Earth.
Her writing about politics, social justice, and books has appeared in USA Today, Harper’s BAZAAR, Courier Newsroom, Mic, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Publisher’s Weekly, ZORA, and elsewhere. Since 2017, she has been working to get out the vote in Georgia’s AAPI community. In 2019, she co-founded the Georgia chapter of They See Blue, an organization for South Asian Democrats. In the fall of 2020, she served on the Georgia AAPI Leadership Council for the Biden Harris campaign. A former board member of the National Book Critics Circle, she is the recipient of awards from the South Asian Journalists Association and the American Society of Journalists and Authors, as well as residencies from the Hambidge Center, Sundress Academy of the Arts, and Wildacres. She was also nominated to Good Morning America’s 2021 Asian American and Pacific Islander Inspiration List.
A graduate of Duke University, Washington University School of Law, and the MFA program at Queens University in Charlotte, she teaches creative writing in the MFA program at Reinhardt University.
May 15, 2021
A beautiful, complex but seamlessly written story of intergenerational trauma, displacement, and the long-lasting reverberations of colonialism and political violence in not only the lives of those who experience and but also their descendants and loved ones. It's meticulously researched and powerfully yet sensitively told; scenes of conflict and violence at the time of the India-Pakistan Partition will stay with me for a long time. It's also abundantly illuminating for those, like me, who come in knowing little about the upheavals wrought by the closedown of empire in India, and a testament to the importance of family history, traditions, and culture. I only wished for more of certain characters' stories, something I very rarely can say about a novel. A gorgeous debut.
June 13, 2021
This is a generational story of Partition and its lifetime and generational effects. The plot was good, but for me it seemed very "YAish" (I'm making that word up because it describes how I felt!). It seemed to be missing complex character development and language. Not bad at all - just not moving or deeply engrossing for me.
July 2, 2021
This is my first time reading an Anjali Enjeti book. I think she is a very good writer, but I found the
story line average and predictable. Nothing particularly compelling. Characters were archetypal and
not well developed. The events also occurred very abruptly - like how could Amir and Deepa barely know each other one moment and end up having a passionate romance the next?
I have read all the major books on Partition and researched this topic extensively. I have listened to first hand accounts from Partition survivors - Hindu and Sikh Punjabis and Hindu Sindhis who all lost their ancestral homelands. Those stories tore at my heart and live on in my memory.
Somehow The Parted Earth did not do that for me in a deep way. For South Asians and non-South Asians not familiar with the Partition of India and the creation of Pakistan, this book is a good - not great - start and introduction. Today the shadow of Partition lives on in South Asia be it Indo-Pak relations, the Kashmiri people and conflict, and the marginalization of India's 200 million Muslims (who are still blamed for Partition and whose loyalty to the Indian nation state is questioned).
Overall, I do give Ms. Enjeti 4 starts for her effort on conveying a historical event whose legacy continues to haunt modern South Asia.
story line average and predictable. Nothing particularly compelling. Characters were archetypal and
not well developed. The events also occurred very abruptly - like how could Amir and Deepa barely know each other one moment and end up having a passionate romance the next?
I have read all the major books on Partition and researched this topic extensively. I have listened to first hand accounts from Partition survivors - Hindu and Sikh Punjabis and Hindu Sindhis who all lost their ancestral homelands. Those stories tore at my heart and live on in my memory.
Somehow The Parted Earth did not do that for me in a deep way. For South Asians and non-South Asians not familiar with the Partition of India and the creation of Pakistan, this book is a good - not great - start and introduction. Today the shadow of Partition lives on in South Asia be it Indo-Pak relations, the Kashmiri people and conflict, and the marginalization of India's 200 million Muslims (who are still blamed for Partition and whose loyalty to the Indian nation state is questioned).
Overall, I do give Ms. Enjeti 4 starts for her effort on conveying a historical event whose legacy continues to haunt modern South Asia.
June 24, 2021
This book simply did not resonate with me. Not at all. It seemed like my kinda story, but I was not able to develop a connection to any character. Not a one. You might like it. I did not.
August 21, 2021
I liked the idea of this book, but the execution was just off :(
August 10, 2021
TW: miscarriage, suicide, violence
I just finished reading @anjalienjeti’s debut novel, The Parted Earth. Following in the footsteps of authors like Anita Rau Badami (whom I read a few months ago, Enjeti’s novel explores the social, psychological, and emotional ramifications on a family experiencing both collective and individual traumas. Her novel suggests that the trauma of the Partition, which resulted in the displacement of millions of people as the South-Asian sub-continent into Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. The novel demonstrates how generations in the future continue to pursue questions of the past. Moreover, there is a powerful connection that exists between Shan (a woman of South Asian and American descent) and her grandmother, Deepa (who witnessed the violence of the Partition and is still quietly suffering in its aftermath) and the relationship that they develop in the novel.
Enjeti’s debut novel is timely and contributes to the ongoing conversations on the Partition and diaspora studies.
I just finished reading @anjalienjeti’s debut novel, The Parted Earth. Following in the footsteps of authors like Anita Rau Badami (whom I read a few months ago, Enjeti’s novel explores the social, psychological, and emotional ramifications on a family experiencing both collective and individual traumas. Her novel suggests that the trauma of the Partition, which resulted in the displacement of millions of people as the South-Asian sub-continent into Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. The novel demonstrates how generations in the future continue to pursue questions of the past. Moreover, there is a powerful connection that exists between Shan (a woman of South Asian and American descent) and her grandmother, Deepa (who witnessed the violence of the Partition and is still quietly suffering in its aftermath) and the relationship that they develop in the novel.
Enjeti’s debut novel is timely and contributes to the ongoing conversations on the Partition and diaspora studies.
July 1, 2021
I just could not get into this because of poor writing. I was interested in the historical context but during the teen romance section it seems too much like a YA novel I stopped to look up whether I had accidentally download a teen novel
May 15, 2023
This is a family story spanning many decades and multiple generations. The background is mainly during the partition of India in 1947 when the English Raj divided the continent and its people. I had a little bit of trouble following the relationships of the characters as the story switched timeframes. Ultimately it was a very good story that kept my interest.
July 7, 2021
The book jacket compares this story to Pachinko, so I was expecting a more expensive, heart wrenching set of intertwined stories. I wish this novel was either retooled to fit into YA or built out to encompass the big feelings and memories it tried to evoke.
August 6, 2021
Just when you think that you have a good education, you find a gap in your literature. Partition or the division of the subcontinent as a result of the decolonization of Great Britain in 1947, making India and Pakistan two distinctive countries was something that I lack any substantive knowledge of. The Partition of India not only divided the earth but displaced 10 to 20 million people and created a refugee crisis in both areas, not to mention that thousands died in acts of violence.
The story is an intergenerational account as well as a Romeo and Juliet love story between teenagers Deepa Khanna and Amir, this being one timeline woven into a more current timeline identified below. Amir was Muslim and Deepa, Hindu. However, being Hindu in the correct area, yet serving and treating Muslims in their medical clinic was enough to bring aggressive attention to their medical facility during which both of Deepa's parents are killed. Deepa sinks into depression and Amir arrives to comfort her and they plan for a future that will start upon Amirs' return from Pakistan after he assists his parent to move there. In the interim, Deepa is forced to move to Londo to be with her guardians.
The story is taken up in the United States with Shan, who is Deepa's granddaughter, and the issues she is facing in her marriage, actually ending that marriage. Shan, is at loose ends in her life and begins to take up a search for her family. She uncovers the reason her grandmother is distant and aloof (this also helps the reader to understand more about Deepa's life). I thought that Enjeti did a great job by weaving in other stories and impacts of Partition. I was engaged in the story and loved the characters. I recommend this to any who loves generational stories.
5 stars
Happy Reading!
The story is an intergenerational account as well as a Romeo and Juliet love story between teenagers Deepa Khanna and Amir, this being one timeline woven into a more current timeline identified below. Amir was Muslim and Deepa, Hindu. However, being Hindu in the correct area, yet serving and treating Muslims in their medical clinic was enough to bring aggressive attention to their medical facility during which both of Deepa's parents are killed. Deepa sinks into depression and Amir arrives to comfort her and they plan for a future that will start upon Amirs' return from Pakistan after he assists his parent to move there. In the interim, Deepa is forced to move to Londo to be with her guardians.
The story is taken up in the United States with Shan, who is Deepa's granddaughter, and the issues she is facing in her marriage, actually ending that marriage. Shan, is at loose ends in her life and begins to take up a search for her family. She uncovers the reason her grandmother is distant and aloof (this also helps the reader to understand more about Deepa's life). I thought that Enjeti did a great job by weaving in other stories and impacts of Partition. I was engaged in the story and loved the characters. I recommend this to any who loves generational stories.
5 stars
Happy Reading!
May 29, 2021
Lately, I've been running into a lot of fiction that draws on the partition of India—sometimes I look for it deliberately; at other times it pops up in places I don't expect. The Parted Earth is one of the titles dealing with partition that I chose deliberately. The chaos and violence of this time—and how little I knew about it—are incredibly disturbing, and also a necessary warning. At our worst, we humans can be terrible. And after those historical outbursts of horrible, we seem to move onto a bifurcated path: one that simultaneously disavows the violence, while also gradually building up to the next round of it. As I read about the religiously motivated violence at the time of the partition, I think about present-day India and the new wave of sectarian violence sweeping it.
The Parted Earth is a powerful novel of the partition and its aftermath. It's a hard read. Not all the characters survive. Those that survive don't necessarily recover from their losses and trauma. Taking the long view, The Parted Earth offers a sliver of hope, but that sliver is narrow.
If you want to face history, to learn from it and to see the power it has to shape us, this is a book you'll value. There are characters in it worth caring about and lessons we very much need at this moment.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via EdelweissPlus; the opinions are my own.
The Parted Earth is a powerful novel of the partition and its aftermath. It's a hard read. Not all the characters survive. Those that survive don't necessarily recover from their losses and trauma. Taking the long view, The Parted Earth offers a sliver of hope, but that sliver is narrow.
If you want to face history, to learn from it and to see the power it has to shape us, this is a book you'll value. There are characters in it worth caring about and lessons we very much need at this moment.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via EdelweissPlus; the opinions are my own.
April 14, 2025
It had so much potential but fell so flat and that was so disappointing
August 12, 2022
Slow starting but ultimately very powerful, sad book about love, loss, separation, and memory during and generations after the Partition of India and Pakistan
January 7, 2025
Enjoyable storyline, but the writing fell short
March 12, 2024
shallow // sad
missed the mark for the most part but still decently compelling
read Amit Majmudar's Partitions instead
missed the mark for the most part but still decently compelling
read Amit Majmudar's Partitions instead
September 14, 2021
Partition of India and its repercussions for two women.
August 31, 2021
*4.5 stars
TW: suicide, depression, murder, refugee crisis, religious cleansing
This book follows a number of people, but it all begins with Deepa and Amir. Deepa is a 16 years old Hindu girl living in New Delhi during the Partition. There she meets and falls in love with a Muslim boy named Amir. As violence begins to grow in New Delhi Amir's family decides it's best to flee to Lahore, Pakistan.
Their stories are later unraveled and unveiled to Shan, a 40 year old woman living in Atalnta, Georgia who's whole life is changing. As she begins to restart her life she finds clues on why her deceased Father Vijay had abandoned her and her mother 30 years ago.
This is by no means an easy book to read. The Partition of India in 1947 into India and Pakistan was a very violent and scary moment in time for so many people. Many people lost their lives, families, and homes (all they've ever known) forever in the transition to uproot to a new country.
This book was phenomenal. The way in which Anjali is able to weave words together in such intricate sentences and create characters that hold so much depth in a linited number of pages is a true talent. There was not a single character in this book that I didn't love and root for. I think the way the book was structuted and the manner in which small hints were dropped throughout the book were done with intention and precision. Even though this book was relatively short the impact it had was huge.
I buddy read this book with my fave again @sagarific and the voice notes we would send back and forth and the conversations we would have surrounding this book made it that much more special.
TW: suicide, depression, murder, refugee crisis, religious cleansing
This book follows a number of people, but it all begins with Deepa and Amir. Deepa is a 16 years old Hindu girl living in New Delhi during the Partition. There she meets and falls in love with a Muslim boy named Amir. As violence begins to grow in New Delhi Amir's family decides it's best to flee to Lahore, Pakistan.
Their stories are later unraveled and unveiled to Shan, a 40 year old woman living in Atalnta, Georgia who's whole life is changing. As she begins to restart her life she finds clues on why her deceased Father Vijay had abandoned her and her mother 30 years ago.
This is by no means an easy book to read. The Partition of India in 1947 into India and Pakistan was a very violent and scary moment in time for so many people. Many people lost their lives, families, and homes (all they've ever known) forever in the transition to uproot to a new country.
This book was phenomenal. The way in which Anjali is able to weave words together in such intricate sentences and create characters that hold so much depth in a linited number of pages is a true talent. There was not a single character in this book that I didn't love and root for. I think the way the book was structuted and the manner in which small hints were dropped throughout the book were done with intention and precision. Even though this book was relatively short the impact it had was huge.
I buddy read this book with my fave again @sagarific and the voice notes we would send back and forth and the conversations we would have surrounding this book made it that much more special.
October 23, 2022
Deepti Gupta won a best female narrator award for this book and I did love listening to it! Judging from some other reviews I've seen, this story is more of an intro on the India-Pakistan Partition of 1947 and I still have a lot to learn about this significant historical event. This was a multi-generational story, but you don't always know how the characters are connected when you're first introduced to them. Watching their stories unfold required patience and the payoff was worth it. This generational trauma was deep-rooted and much of the story dealt with grief and regret. Fortunately, there was a lot of hope here, too.
Again, I loved the narration and the shorter length meant none of the stories were overly drawn out! While this one probably won't be as satisfying to readers who enjoy winding, multi-generational sagas, as someone who is newer to the genre, it was a fascinating look at a historical event that I haven't learned much about.
Again, I loved the narration and the shorter length meant none of the stories were overly drawn out! While this one probably won't be as satisfying to readers who enjoy winding, multi-generational sagas, as someone who is newer to the genre, it was a fascinating look at a historical event that I haven't learned much about.
August 8, 2021
What a beautiful piece of fiction that weaves romantic relationships, friendship, and painful moments to endure through several generations. It left me wanting to read the real stories gathered from the Partition Project and learn. An easy, wonderful read whose plot wraps together in a way that makes the story full but the reader still feeling empty with the sadness from the many relationship unfulfilled.
June 17, 2023
We'd just watched the Doctor Who ep Demons of Punjab about the 1947 partition of India/Pakistan, which offered clarity while reading. No demons in this, at least not of the Sci Fi sort, it was nonetheless dramatic and emotional. Flipping from the past to present, a rich, sad novel connecting the lives of two women, Deepa and Shanthi, they discover the true power of love and connection. Must read!
March 14, 2021
A compelling, quick novel on the India-Pakistan Partition of 1947 and the subsequent religious genocides that followed. Would recommend for anyone interested in a chapter of history on the Indian subcontinent with a fiction focus. Coming out May 2021, I will be writing a full review soon!
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June 15, 2021The Partition is a historical event I'll admit I don't know much about, and this beautiful novel taught me a lot. Would recommend for fans of THE STATIONERY SHOP.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for a free advance copy of this book.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for a free advance copy of this book.
August 17, 2021
DNF - read 3/4 of this, but there was just too much jumping around(characters/time) to actually connect with the book :(
August 8, 2021
This was such a beautifully written debut about the lasting impacts of Partition on one family over three generations. The story begins in August 1947 New Delhi with sixteen year old Deepa (a Hindu) being torn apart from her secret Muslim boyfriend Amir. Amir's family is forced to leave as the Indian subcontinent is divided into the newly formed Muslim majority Pakistan and the Hindu majority India. Amir promises to return to Deepa but forces prevent this and she ends up moving to London with her godparents after her parents are killed. Nine months later in London Deepa gives birth to a son.
Fast forward to present day Atlanta, we get to know Deepa's granddaughter Shanthi (Shan), a 40 year old Anglo-Indian woman whose marriage is dissolving. Shan never had much of a relationship with her father and she embarks on a journey to discover more about her past which ends up leading her to her estranged grandmother, bringing the story full circle in a satisfying way.
I loved that this was told more as a series of interconnected short stories, jumping between characters, places and time. With multiple perspectives the author shows the many ways Partition effected families over time. One million people died during the violence of Partition and over 15 million became refugees. Families were separated and the grief, shame and loss had long reaching effects. This was excellent on audio, voiced by Audie award nominated narrator Deepti Gupta and highly recommended for fans of M.G. Vassanji and Shilpi Somaya Gowda.
⚠️CW: miscarriage, suicide, death of loved ones due to violence and extremism
Fast forward to present day Atlanta, we get to know Deepa's granddaughter Shanthi (Shan), a 40 year old Anglo-Indian woman whose marriage is dissolving. Shan never had much of a relationship with her father and she embarks on a journey to discover more about her past which ends up leading her to her estranged grandmother, bringing the story full circle in a satisfying way.
I loved that this was told more as a series of interconnected short stories, jumping between characters, places and time. With multiple perspectives the author shows the many ways Partition effected families over time. One million people died during the violence of Partition and over 15 million became refugees. Families were separated and the grief, shame and loss had long reaching effects. This was excellent on audio, voiced by Audie award nominated narrator Deepti Gupta and highly recommended for fans of M.G. Vassanji and Shilpi Somaya Gowda.
⚠️CW: miscarriage, suicide, death of loved ones due to violence and extremism
October 14, 2021
This multigenerational saga about the aftermath of the India-Pakistan partition is told non-sequentially from different points of view decades apart. At first, this style of abruptly jumping from one very dramatic happening to a completely different time and character was jarring. It felt clumsy and rushed. But as the story progressed and the characters' lives were stitched together, I eventually came to appreciate the scope and humanity of this story.
Right off the bat, reading about the violence and upheaval that alters Deepa's life was a history lesson I had never received and very much appreciated. Learning about the scope of the violence and the horrific ways it played out was enlightening and rightly reinforced skepticism of the British and colonialism generally. This is all valuable stuff, especially so in the US historical fiction market, which is way oversaturated with Euro-America-centric WWII stories. (Not unworthy stories of course, just oversaturated.) However, I've seen some highly critical reviews about the lack of research into both day-to-day cultural details and fundamental realities of Deepa's life. Even being ignorant of the finer points of Indian/specifically New Delhi culture of the 1940s, I too felt the story was often rushed and unrealistic. While I appreciate the education a story like this can bring to an ignorant audience, if this was a history personal to me, I'd want it told with the utmost care and research worthy of the gravity of the topic. And though I did grow to care for the characters, the plotting and character development probably could have used some workshopping and deepening.
Right off the bat, reading about the violence and upheaval that alters Deepa's life was a history lesson I had never received and very much appreciated. Learning about the scope of the violence and the horrific ways it played out was enlightening and rightly reinforced skepticism of the British and colonialism generally. This is all valuable stuff, especially so in the US historical fiction market, which is way oversaturated with Euro-America-centric WWII stories. (Not unworthy stories of course, just oversaturated.) However, I've seen some highly critical reviews about the lack of research into both day-to-day cultural details and fundamental realities of Deepa's life. Even being ignorant of the finer points of Indian/specifically New Delhi culture of the 1940s, I too felt the story was often rushed and unrealistic. While I appreciate the education a story like this can bring to an ignorant audience, if this was a history personal to me, I'd want it told with the utmost care and research worthy of the gravity of the topic. And though I did grow to care for the characters, the plotting and character development probably could have used some workshopping and deepening.
October 21, 2021
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In 1947 after 300 years of occupation, England released its control of India, leaving millions in chaos with a country divided by religious beliefs and a brutal caste system. The Parted Earth introduces us to these difficult days and young lovers parted by violence and hatred. The result is generations of misunderstanding and separation by those who either couldn’t find one another or were dead. Our young lead protagonist is a 16-year-old named Deepa, the daughter of Hindu (by birth) doctors who treated Muslims and Hindi. Through her school, Deepa meets Amir, the older brother of a fellow female student who is Muslim. Theirs is the love story that everything revolves around. When their relationship is fractured during separate escapes from the violence, it leaves a lasting wound that passes through many generations. In the end, there is healing, but the years and years of violence in India remain one of the saddest parts of India’s past and future. This book is only 252 pages, but it’s a well-told story—a gem. Be warned, this book does describe moments of genuine violence and is hard to read at times. My deepest thanks to the author, Anjali Engeti, for sharing her book, The Parted Earth, with us. @anjalienjeti #thepartedearth #india #partition #violence #religion #murder #mobviolence #origami #love #death #sacrifice #bravery @hubcitywriters #trauma
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. #reading #books #bookstagram #book #booksofinstagram #booklovers #bookish #lindaleereads2021 #mmdbookclub #idratherbereading #readinglife @ocls @modernmrsdarcy #October 🇮🇳
In 1947 after 300 years of occupation, England released its control of India, leaving millions in chaos with a country divided by religious beliefs and a brutal caste system. The Parted Earth introduces us to these difficult days and young lovers parted by violence and hatred. The result is generations of misunderstanding and separation by those who either couldn’t find one another or were dead. Our young lead protagonist is a 16-year-old named Deepa, the daughter of Hindu (by birth) doctors who treated Muslims and Hindi. Through her school, Deepa meets Amir, the older brother of a fellow female student who is Muslim. Theirs is the love story that everything revolves around. When their relationship is fractured during separate escapes from the violence, it leaves a lasting wound that passes through many generations. In the end, there is healing, but the years and years of violence in India remain one of the saddest parts of India’s past and future. This book is only 252 pages, but it’s a well-told story—a gem. Be warned, this book does describe moments of genuine violence and is hard to read at times. My deepest thanks to the author, Anjali Engeti, for sharing her book, The Parted Earth, with us. @anjalienjeti #thepartedearth #india #partition #violence #religion #murder #mobviolence #origami #love #death #sacrifice #bravery @hubcitywriters #trauma
.
. #reading #books #bookstagram #book #booksofinstagram #booklovers #bookish #lindaleereads2021 #mmdbookclub #idratherbereading #readinglife @ocls @modernmrsdarcy #October 🇮🇳
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