JIm FUlner reviewed The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
3 stars
I listened to this audio book because I work with so many Indians in my line of work that I had wanted to read more Indian literature to get a greater cultural understanding of my fellow workers. From that perspective the biggest thing I gained here was learning that at least part of the reason that the Indian caste system continues to this day is a feeling that the caste one is born into is part of their just rewards for actions in a previous life. So if you are born to a lower caste it may because you were a real asshole in your previous life, so it is correct to treat them lower. returnreturnI give this book only 2.5 stars primarily because from an audio perspective it was very difficult to follow. The story is told from at least 4 different 1st person perspectives (which isn't normally a …
I listened to this audio book because I work with so many Indians in my line of work that I had wanted to read more Indian literature to get a greater cultural understanding of my fellow workers. From that perspective the biggest thing I gained here was learning that at least part of the reason that the Indian caste system continues to this day is a feeling that the caste one is born into is part of their just rewards for actions in a previous life. So if you are born to a lower caste it may because you were a real asshole in your previous life, so it is correct to treat them lower. returnreturnI give this book only 2.5 stars primarily because from an audio perspective it was very difficult to follow. The story is told from at least 4 different 1st person perspectives (which isn't normally a problem lots of my Star Trek books do that) but on the audiobook it isn't always clear when the transitions occur, especially as it doesn't always change just at the Chapter break. I suspect that it is easier to follow in the dead tree form, like a double line break or something. returnreturnThis is basically the life story of an orphan we know mostly as "the judge" his rise from poverty to study to become a member of the ICS when Britain was Indianizing their regime. His daughter, her math tutuor, their cook, and the cook's son. Immigration back and forth to India, the judge to England for education, the cook's son to the US to try to make ends meet. The math tutor and the daughter fall in love, only for the tutor to turn on her because of political upheaval and his acceptance of a new nationalism. It bounces back and forth from India to the EU to the US. It bounces around time lines until it finally all falls into place. If that sounds interesting to you I recommend reading it rather than listening to it.