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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 Sarikaβs 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 Sarikaβs 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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