The Inheritance of Loss - Review by Sally906

Finished: 16/04/07
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 312
Rated: E
Cover: Trade Paperback
Obtained from?: Library
Reason(s) for Reading: Wanted to

Opening sentence "...All day, the colors had been those of dusk, mist moving like a water creature across the great flanks of mountains possessed of ocean shadows and depths..."

I read this book for one of my reading challenges, the New York Times Notable Book Challenge.

Kiran Desai is the winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2006. Surely as a recipient this means that she is a superb writer, whose books are going to be the ultimate fiction experience. But no, not for me I'm afraid. Despite great reviews and accolades I just couldn't get into the book. I would just start to get engrossed and she whipped me off somewhere else - either jumping forward six months - or backwards thirty years. She has beautiful descriptions, such a poetic turn of words - I mean just look back up at the opening sentence - it is so mood setting. I read them and thought Ahhh - I'm in for a treat. Unfortunately the promise of the opening words just didn't follow through into the plot. I am not sure I even know the meaning of the end - or if the last page is the end - she just stopped. the only character I really cared about and can only imagine her fate - is that of Mutt. I shed a tear as I fear she will end up in the curry pot. I was devastated at her probable end - but again you just aren't told - no closure. I do hate that.

I do have Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard I am a bit reluctant to read it - but many people have told me it is a much better book - so will give it a try.

Read this in April but didn't realise I had not posted the review in this blog. Review can also be found here.