Monday 22 October 2012

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth


I've finally finished it!  Three months and 1474 pages of tiny print later, I can consign A Suitable Boy to my 'read' shelf on goodreads.  This post will contain first a general review of the book without spoilers, then a discussion of the third section for the readalong.  The discussion part will contain spoilers, so steer clear if you haven't read or finished the book yet.

Review:
A Suitable Boy is the inter-connected tale of four families in post-independence India.  Although the central story is Mrs Rupa Mehra's quest to find a suitable husband for her daughter Lata, Seth's novel is more than that and is best described as a panoramic of Indian society.  From racial tension to religious festivals to adultery, ambition and politics, A Suitable Boy is an epic in every sense of the word.  The many individual stories are told alongside each other in nineteen parts and cover the human condition in all its forms.  I enjoyed reading about Savita's journey into motherhood, Pran's struggle to become an academic, the Nawab Sahib's bewilderment as the world he knew disappeared and the eccentric Chatterji family, who were more liberal and liked to speak in couplets.

If you have the time to invest in it, A Suitable Boy is a very rewarding book.  For me, it's up there with Gone with the Wind and Anna Karenina as a book that I will always remember.  Lata and the cast of characters feel like members of my friends and family; two days after putting this book down for good, I'm missing them.  Towards the end of the book when things start to happen and events get resolved, I was emotionally invested in the outcome each character would have.  Seth made me connect with each one (even if I didn't like them all) and I have a clear visualisation of what each character is about, which is not easy to pull off.  It felt almost like the book got into my soul.

As the scope of Suitable Boy is so broad, there's guaranteed to be something in it for each reader.  I'm a fan of multiple perspective books anyway and the rapid shifting between points of view stopped this long book from becoming tedious to read.  I'm in utter awe at the way Seth managed to wind all of his characters and events together without losing the impact of the story.  There are some plot points not resolved by the end and everything doesn't tie up nicely, but then it's not the kind of book where everything would.  A Suitable Boy does require an investment of time and effort but most definitely repays anything you put into it.

Discussion - Part Three (Spoilers):
I had mentioned in my review of Part Two that events were dragging and the book was becoming a bit of a slog - not so in Part Three!  Suddenly everything seemed to be happening at once and the pace was whirlwind by the last two or three hundred pages.

The main event was clearly Lata's marriage to Haresh.  I must admit to being disappointed with her choice, especially as it seemed to be one so clearly based on the head rather than the heart.  My opinions conicided with Malati's, who felt that Lata had turned down the gold and silver prize in order to settle for the bronze.  Whilst I agree that she could never have married Kabir, much as I liked him (the attitude of her family would have made their life very difficult), I had a soft spot for Amit.  There's one section where Lata is thinking about his poems and Seth writes something like 'they were already a part of her, without her knowing it'; from that point on I was rooting for Amit.  Lata's reasoning sold Amit short; I didn't find him selfish or demanding at all.  Besides, if anyone proposed to me with a beautifully written poem like that, I would certainly accept!  Haresh seemed very drab and unispiring compared to her other choices and it felt like Lata had chosen sensibly rather than for happiness. 

Religious tension was a theme throughout the whole book but it was really hammered home in this section with both the stampede at the Hindu event and the clashes between Hindus and Muslims when their festivals coincided.  I feel like Seth must feel strongly about clashes like this, as the sections dealing with them were powerfully written.  A message of the whole book seemed to be how futile religious quarrels are. I didn't expect events with Maan to take the turn they did, especially after he saved Firoz earlier in the story.  But I saw a different side to him and to Mahesh and this made me appreciate their characters more. 

The third part was my favourite of the three, mainly as so much happened and the pace was brisk.  I'm still reflecting on all the events and looking forward to the release of A Suitable Girl sometime in 2013, that follows Lata's search for a wife for her grandson eighty years after the events of Suitable Boy.  I hope Seth is on track and the book gets published on time.

Thanks to all the readalong participants for giving me the motivation to finally tackle this book; it had sat on my shelf for years prior to this.  I'm glad I finally got the chance to read and enjoy it.

Source: Personal copy
First Published: 1993
My Edition: Phoenix books UK, 1993 (purchased second hand)
Score: 5 out of 5

18 comments:

  1. Well done! I have this on my bookshelf too and would have joined the readalong if it hadn't been for Clarissa. Good to know you really enjoyed it as it inspires me to think I might tackle it next year.

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    1. I think you would enjoy it, Cat. Just take it slow and steady like we did, then it doesn't get too overwhelming!

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  2. Ahh.. your review is out! I drafted it yesterday, now I'll get over to my blog and have it published. It's been a wonderful ride. I agree with you part 3 is amazing and a part of me thinks Lata may have sold herself short but I think she is making choices that may be good for her in the long run.
    ah so it's Lata who is looking for the Suitable Girl for her grandson. Do you think she would have learnt something through her own experience? This time I think it will be a very different India. :)
    Thanks for reading this along with me. I felt a great sense of achievement that I have finished this book. I gave the same rating.

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    1. I think I was a day early? I've lost track...
      Hmm, I still think Amit would have been a good choice in the long run too. But the real love story for me was Savita & Pran, I loved reading about them two.
      I can't wait for A Suitable Girl!
      Thanks for reading along with me too, I don't think I would have tackled this book without it.

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  3. Congrats on finishing such a long and detailed book! I can't say I've ever read anything over 1,000 pages, let alone 1,400. Great job!

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    1. Luckily it was a pacey read so it didn't drag. I looked at the book yesterday and thought 'I can't believe I read all that'!

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  4. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. I will definitely consider reading it when I have a lot of time on my hands. Congrats on finishing this giant book!

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    1. Yep, it's a good one to save for when you have time :)

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  5. You have made me want to read A Suitable Boy. It's a wonderful review. Now I'm not afraid of the book.

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    1. The only thing scary of this book is the length, not the content or writing style at all. Let me know what you think if you do get a chance to read it :)

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  6. I read this book in 2007 with a Yahoo group and have always thought I would return to it one day. Your review makes me want to do that sooner rather than later. So glad you loved A Suitable Boy!

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  7. Congrats! SAdly, I did not have the umphf to make it all the way through, but I'll definitely try again. :D

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  8. I helped a friend convince our bookclub to read this for our December/January pick one year when we always choose a longer book to tackle and I totally loved it. The historical information melded so beautifully with the fictional plots. It was a delight. Glad you enjoyed it as well.

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  9. YAY! Congratulations! In retrospect, it was really long, but I am so glad that I stuck with it. It's also the sort of book that you can read slowly and enjoy more than reading all in one big gulp, I think.

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  10. Wow. Awesome that you enjoyed this so much. Reading both yours and Jo's reviews, I feel tempted to go back and read this all over again!

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  11. This is an awesome review. I haven't heard of the book or the author before, but it sounds fantastic. It's certainly a long book and congratulations on reading it.

    2 Kids and Tired Books

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  12. Hey Sam, my final readathon post is up! 'A Suitable Girl' readathon in 2013? :)



    http://www.tolstoyismycat.com/2012/10/a-suitable-boy-readathon-final-post.html

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  13. Great review. I must congratulate you on this impressive read. You did very well.

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