Someone Else's Garden (Dipika Rai)

To be honest, I have finished reading it a couple of weeks ago. It's just that my internet connection was, how to put it, "dominated" by someone else.

Right, this book is epic in the sense of flavour. I love reading this book. This is the best attempt I have ever bet on escaping from Reynoldian's spaceworks (I mean works from Alastair Reynolds). It never crossed my mind to pick up a general fiction and gobble it all the way down because sci-fi and fantasy still remains my favourite pick.

All thanks to the Big Bad Wolf book sale. I guess. The general categorization of books only based on Fiction and Non-fiction has tempted me to pick up this Indian-flavoured book just because I cannot bear the look of getting empty handed before returning to the place where I came from (which is about two hours journey home)

Dipika Rai is amazing in her words. She is able to captivate me with all the adjectives and adverbs to depict the rural and sexist life on a tiny part of India. I remembered on one paragraph or phrase that mentions something like "they never knew what month they are born in, they only remember it in colours" such that the colours of the mustard field and other vibrant and vivid colours.

Remarkable.

It is a Cinderella style story but it is dense. Very dense. The love story was very briefly described but painfully ended. I never thought there was a tail trailing behind after the climax. And mind you, the tail was quite long.

If you want a quick read, this book is definitely not for you (and I am never a fan of a super page turner). If you want to sit down, have a cup of Ceylonese tea and relax under a palm tree while reading a book, this IS the book you want.

My heart cried at such beauty, nostalgic and bitter taste of India. I miss it.

Really.

The only one big no-no is the second half of the book is a bit rushed. Maybe it was me getting impatient to see her charming prince or how she tackle her prince (well, there is no real prince as such, I am just 'speaking' metaphorically). Perhaps, that wasn't a no-no, but a yes-yes that the author tempted me to read on and on without stopping.

The conflict is great, I tell you (or reassure you) but I promise you, it is very rewarding in the end.

My heart reaches out to those poor villages in India.

Love you all!

FIVE STARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Hypoview: Someone Else's Garden (Dipika Rai)

According to Neruvatarian Tome, 'hypoview' is defined as a preliminary review done on partial or superficial layer of the entire author's work which may or may not vary after a period of time, depending on the depth of the work.


OK, let's get going.

I have picked this book on 6 Dec 2013 during a Big Bad Wolf Book Fair held in Serdang, Selangor. I admit this book is not my cup of tea, or piece of cake. I am a superfan in Sci-fi or Fantasy, but never general fiction. I will get to that BBW frenzy later, I promise.

This book costs me RM8 at that point of purchase, so, it is worth it, compare to any ordinary novel at a price of RM 34.90++.

Thing is, this book caught my attention in two ways. One: The setting in India. Two: Very cultural design. Yes, I do judge a book by its cover!

I have just entered Chapter 2 as we speak and the comment I am going to give is: AWESOME.

You should try to digest this out with a cup of Ceylonese tea. I am serious. Certain books come with a distinct flavour that if you try to tamper with that balance, you find the book awful. This book is nonetheless a great book.

Try reading the part where the mother is delivering a baby in a mustard field without any doctor yet she has to cook for her family on the same evening. The prejudice is clear in this setting and you will find that the title fits it well.

It is said that having a girl in a family is actually taking care of someone else's garden until she is owned by that someone. Thus, much less attention is paid on taking care of the girls. They are impoverished and constantly raped or abused.

No worries, it is a book of tale. It is so clean and clear that you can feel yourself in India just by the first chapter. I remember one sentence which hits me till the ground:

"In Seeta Ram's (the father) eyes, Mamta (the elder daughter) has no right to exist at all, but since she does, she has to prove herself day after day, working harder than the boys, eating nothing that might be noticed, and being silently present. Like the extra baby section in an orange, not missed if it isn't there, but swallowed whole if it is, without releasing any of its flavour into the mouth."

And one more rhyme that makes me want to cry:

"Make a chapatti, bake a chapatti,
Give one to your father, give one to your mother,
One for your sister and one for your brother,
Then what's left? One burned and dry,
Give it to the little girl to make her cry.

Stay tuned for more of Dipika's SEG!