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Bayeux Arts
September 2009
On Sale: September 15, 2009
264 pages
ISBN: 1897411065
EAN: 9781897411063
Paperback
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Fiction
This debut novel by a former journalist homes in on the
repressive side of 1970s Indian culture. Sarika is a gifted
music student attending a renowned music college in Lucknow
in North India. Her revered teacher, Kirana, possesses a
singular voice, rich in emotion, and he recognizes in
Sarika a talent much greater than his own. As he teaches
her the phrasing and pitch necessary to sing Hindustani
classical music, the two begin to bond emotionally through
their mutual love of singing. And when the married Kirana
begins to visit her at home for private lessons, the two
begin an intense love affair, one that opens Sarika’s eyes
to the hypocrisy of her own culture. The limited options
for women are underlined through two subplots, one
involving a poor Indian music student whose reputation is
ruined after being unwittingly seduced by a callous
businessman, the other involving Sarika’s cousin, who is
prevented from marrying the boy she loves by her status-
conscious parents and is instead pressured into entering an
arranged marriage. Despite its hazy chronological
structure, which can be a distraction, this accessible,
engrossing first novel offers an unusual blend of social
commentary, coming-of-age themes, and a love for sacred
Indian music.
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