THE INVITATION
ISBN - 978-93-5009-542-3
FIRST PUBLISHED - 2012
PUBLISHER - Hachette
PAGES - 304
GENRE - Fiction
BINDING - Paperback
SOURCE - Publishers
AUTHOR - Anne Cherian
SYNOPSIS - When Vickram invites three of his college friends - Frances and Jay, and Lali - to his son's graduation from MIT, they view the part as a twenty-fifth reunion of sorts and accept out of obligation and curiosity.
They are more reluctant than enthusiastic to meet, however. For, after leaving UCLA with dreams of success and vast ambitions for what their children might achieve, things have not turned out quite as they had imagined.
As their lives are cracked open in the course of an evening, the showmanship they anticipitate from each other dissolves, revealing in its long suppressed vulnerabilities and betrayed hopes...
FL Speak - Interesting in patches, drags in rest.
This is how I would summarize this book. The book is about Indians in the States. It is about their fear for their success, their fear for what other Indians might think of them if they stumble, their fear for their children's academic failure.
Jay, Frances, Vic and Lali passed out from UCLA and have gone their separate ways. Jay and Frances are married. Years later, Vic invites them all for his son's graduation party from MIT. Jay and Frances wants to visit, but unsure of what Vic would think if they come to know how badly their daughter is doing in college. I feel this is the mentality that you've all over India.
Thriving to make sure your kids do not disappoint you. And that's bloody unfair. So when they all meet, they're surprised to see that the opinions everyone has formed about the others do not materialize and infact they may actually come to like the party. But as the party progresses, a blast from the past and old memories threaten to rip things apart. In this case, even marriages.
And then, there is a death.
No, its not a thriller or something. Its simple fiction. But it keeps you fascinated. Jay and Frances were by default, my favorites. I liked their story. Flawed and realistic. Anne Cherian doesn't beat around the bushes and goes straight to the point. Her narrative is perfect and her story-telling is classy. If you're looking for a simple read without twists and turns, this is the one.
Also, this book gave me the name of my future daughter. Amanda a.k.a Mandy. Sounds cute right? Wait, I also want to name her Meera. So, now I need to have two daughters. hmmmm...
My Rating - 3/5 stars
PRICE - 350/-
FL, I agree with you regarding the mentality of Indian society. I face that absurdity even now, and its sad. I'm looking for simple stories, let me see if I can procure a copy of this soon :)
ReplyDeletePS: If you marry a gal whose name begins with M, then we can call you the M4Family :P
Mridzy n Maddy have Mandy n Meera !
ReplyDeletecute <3
btw , u cn give both names to 1 daughter too ;)
About the book, I pass. Dramas not my cup of tea :)
More than the intrigue about the book, I am intrigued by your fascination with the names! I vote for Meera though, sounds nice :D Oh, and this sounds like Kumars at No. 42 - Somber Version! ;)
ReplyDelete