Official Review: A Hungry God by Pia Chaudhuri
Posted: 13 Feb 2015, 14:12
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Hungry God" by Pia Chaudhuri.]
4 out of 4 stars
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A Hungry God by Pia Chaudhuri is a book in the fiction genre. This book follows the story of two women, Aruna and Maya, and their travails in life. Aruna is born with an unusual gift which brings its own share of problems with it, but little does she realize its significance.
The book is divided into four parts. Almost two-thirds of the book follows Aruna’s story, from her birth, in a small village in Bengal, till her married life. Aruna makes her entry into the world burning red hot. She continues to remain hot, with an unchanging temperature of forty two degree celsius, and as a consequence she is always sweating. This unusual trait ensures that she is shunned by everyone in her village, except her father. While her mother despises her, her father takes on the responsibility to educate his daughter by taking her on an imaginary journey of the world. But Aruna’s world of dreams was not meant to be, as her father dies young, leaving her alone with a mother who is disgusted with her. The troubles in her life only increase as she grows up and is married off to a man who is repulsed by her. Her life takes a turn for the worse when they move to London, however, it is that move which will change everything.
Maya’s fate in some ways is similar to Aruna. She has a loving father who compensates for the mother who abandoned her when she was seven. But was her father the man she thought he was? And why did her mother leave them? To find the answers to these questions, she undertakes a journey to her ancestral homeland, where her destiny is awaiting her.
This book explores various themes like bullying, abusive marriages, acclimatizing in a foreign land, expatriates losing touch with their ancestral country, etc. What is wonderful about the book is how the author has expressed these feelings in the most simple and relatable manner. The author has used various apt imageries to convey the surroundings in her book and the picture painted by the author is richly colored. The description of a Bengali village, the hustle-bustle of life Kolkata, the contrast between London and India, etc, will captivate the reader. The author has craftily used two languages in her book to achieve the desired effect for the story.
The best part about this book is its storyline. The author has beautifully woven magic with the realities of life, in this story. Aruna’s perspective of the world around her would completely involve the reader. Her vision of the world is created by her father who always encouraged her to believe that she is not only different, but special. The author has dealt with the issue of domestic violence in a family and how relatives and friends are forced to ignore the evidence of their eyes. The author also treads on the difficulty faced by a person when they have to confront the bitter truth that a person they loved so much could have been terrible to someone else. The author has expressed the loss felt by Maya, when she is left all alone in the world, has no clue about her family, her relatives, and is a stranger in her own ancestral homeland. All the myriad emotions of love, loss, wonder and sacrifice, combined with the magical elements in the book make for a wonderful read.
A Hungry God is a beautiful story and Indians, especially those residing outside of India, will be able to relate to this book very well. I rate it 4 out of 4.
******
A Hungry God
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4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
A Hungry God by Pia Chaudhuri is a book in the fiction genre. This book follows the story of two women, Aruna and Maya, and their travails in life. Aruna is born with an unusual gift which brings its own share of problems with it, but little does she realize its significance.
The book is divided into four parts. Almost two-thirds of the book follows Aruna’s story, from her birth, in a small village in Bengal, till her married life. Aruna makes her entry into the world burning red hot. She continues to remain hot, with an unchanging temperature of forty two degree celsius, and as a consequence she is always sweating. This unusual trait ensures that she is shunned by everyone in her village, except her father. While her mother despises her, her father takes on the responsibility to educate his daughter by taking her on an imaginary journey of the world. But Aruna’s world of dreams was not meant to be, as her father dies young, leaving her alone with a mother who is disgusted with her. The troubles in her life only increase as she grows up and is married off to a man who is repulsed by her. Her life takes a turn for the worse when they move to London, however, it is that move which will change everything.
Maya’s fate in some ways is similar to Aruna. She has a loving father who compensates for the mother who abandoned her when she was seven. But was her father the man she thought he was? And why did her mother leave them? To find the answers to these questions, she undertakes a journey to her ancestral homeland, where her destiny is awaiting her.
This book explores various themes like bullying, abusive marriages, acclimatizing in a foreign land, expatriates losing touch with their ancestral country, etc. What is wonderful about the book is how the author has expressed these feelings in the most simple and relatable manner. The author has used various apt imageries to convey the surroundings in her book and the picture painted by the author is richly colored. The description of a Bengali village, the hustle-bustle of life Kolkata, the contrast between London and India, etc, will captivate the reader. The author has craftily used two languages in her book to achieve the desired effect for the story.
The best part about this book is its storyline. The author has beautifully woven magic with the realities of life, in this story. Aruna’s perspective of the world around her would completely involve the reader. Her vision of the world is created by her father who always encouraged her to believe that she is not only different, but special. The author has dealt with the issue of domestic violence in a family and how relatives and friends are forced to ignore the evidence of their eyes. The author also treads on the difficulty faced by a person when they have to confront the bitter truth that a person they loved so much could have been terrible to someone else. The author has expressed the loss felt by Maya, when she is left all alone in the world, has no clue about her family, her relatives, and is a stranger in her own ancestral homeland. All the myriad emotions of love, loss, wonder and sacrifice, combined with the magical elements in the book make for a wonderful read.
A Hungry God is a beautiful story and Indians, especially those residing outside of India, will be able to relate to this book very well. I rate it 4 out of 4.
******
A Hungry God
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like ananya92's review? Post a comment saying so!
The story was so touching. I enjoyed reading the book and look forward to reading more from you.