Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

"The aging patriarch and matriarch of the Ghosh family preside over their large household, made up of their five adult children and their respective children, unaware that beneath the barely ruffled surface of their lives the sands are shifting. Each set of family members occupies a floor of the home, in accordance to their standing within the family. Poisonous rivalries between sisters-in-law, destructive secrets, and the implosion of the family business threaten to unravel bonds of kinship as social unrest brews in greater Indian society. This is a moment of turbulence, of inevitable and unstoppable change: the chasm between the generations, and between those who have and those who have not, has never been wider. The eldest grandchild, Supratik, compelled by his idealism, becomes dangerously involved in extremist political activism—an action that further catalyzes the decay of the Ghosh home."

This book was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2014 and now on the longlist for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Awards this year. I've read the shortlist for the IMPAC award for the past 2 years and it has exposed me to books I never would have found to read on my own. This is the first year I've attempted the longlist, (159 books!!) although I know I will not read them all before the shortlist is announced.

I'm reading this for the Week #5 challenge.

I didn't like this book. Obviously others did, but I found it overwritten, with loose ends and hardly any characters I felt empathy toward. I don't have to like the characters, but I expect to understand and empathize with them.

I'm bummed. Oh, well.

If you've read this book and have a different opinion, I'd love to hear it!