Once a month I meet with a group of fellow expats to discuss a book that one of us has picked for the given months (we take it in turns to select books). The weather is heavenly today, sunny and very warm with a delicate breeze. Such days show Switzerland in her full glory with visible signs of affluence, with all the contended people soaking up the sun, enjoying their food, not thinking yet of another super busy day at work in one bank or another. All of this is in such a huge contrast to the book that we read this month. The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai is no doubt beautifully written but the emotional reaction I had from reading it can be only compared to having my heart ripped out.
Chaos and despair seem to rule the lives of the characters in the novel. One character – Biju – is an illegal Indian immigrant in the United States, who experiences all kinds of wretched misfortunes. It all starts with a harrowing scene of a crowd of Indians applying for visas at the American Embassy: “He dusted himself off, presenting himself with the exquisite manners of a cat. I’m civilized, sir, ready for the U.S., I’m civilized, mam.” If you intend to read the novel, do not read on, please. Biju is miserable in New York, treated like vermin and exploited by a string of his shady employees. He manages to accumulate some money and decides to return to India. Once back in Calcutta, he is robbed by his fellow countrymen; he loses his luggage, all the money plus his clothes and shoes. He returns home to his father barefoot and poorer than he left.
While reading the novel I could not help thinking of the supposed melting pot, the global village that we are said to live in right now. My favourite Turkish writer, Orhan Pamuk, wrote something very interesting after the 9/11 tragedy: people in the West are “scarcely aware of this overwhelming feeling of humiliation that is experienced by most of the world’s population,” which “neither magical realistic novels that endow poverty and foolishness with charm nor the exoticism of popular travel literature manages to fathom.” One quote from the book sounded extremely poignant to me: “Profit could only be harvested in the gap between nations, working one against the other.” I feel guilty as a person from the West of all the suffering that we, the Westerners, have caused. I am not sure we are ready yet to live in harmonious diversity of cultures. I do not see how we can achieve any kind of redemption just yet.
symbolreader 
agreed Monika. The mended relationship with the self seems, that seems like the real problematique. I think about poverty, deeply embedded hatred, nationalism, environmental ambivalence…all seem to depend on our regard for our own nature, and compassion for our own warring insides. Once peace is brought to that borderline between soul and the senses, perhaps love will inform our eyes, and we’ll look out upon others, and see family.
LikeLike
I agree, it all starts with an individual. We are at war with ourselves. This book has left me a bit bitter, I need to find something more hopeful now.
LikeLike
I know that feeling. Like a sweet chaser after a strong shot.
LikeLike
And we must be hopeful, but also quite engaged in the change of our age. Like you, I sorrow with what individualism and capitalism have “done” to the human spirit. We have been beckoned onto the rocks and are smashing ourselves. Yet, despair is nowhere within me. Every human being has feelings and intelligence. Ultimately, the feelings of the heart and insightful intelligence will reveal the current way of living untenable. Those who have woken up to that are many and in every country. Unfortunately, the character in the book didn’t meet any.
The books sounds like a witnessing of the collective vacuous state so that it can be better recognized.
LikeLike
You are right. This was a thoughtful comment. I also have not lost hope. Such books are necessary because they do show the sad reality.
LikeLike
Good to hear that you haven´t lost hope. I haven´t read this particular book, but in general in these days I don´t read books that don´t leave light (but I have had my important share of them as part of the journey of wanting to understand human suffering on a deep level).
LikeLike
My progressed Moon has entered Scorpio and I have a certain need of dark themes now… Hope it does not go too far. i will be checking out your blog to stay on the light side!
LikeLike
I think I understand…:)
LikeLike
Great post. I liked the synopsis, as my reading list is already insane. Biju may have returned with less material goods, but he became richer for it. No more illusions? As you added, the American Nightmare has become visible for more and more people. Yet, it is still being sold to us as the Dream. Whose dream?
Oh, that reminds me to finish your last post. 😀
LikeLike
Biju is not the only character in the book who learns what sustains him when all the ego facade crumbles. After the discussion tonight I feel I appreciate this book even more. And I always appreciate your comments!
LikeLike
I am very happy to hear such true feeling from a person specially in today’s world when nations are in cold war in way or other.i also have read the novel.how wil we do the character study of the novel.
LikeLike