Independence

by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Wm.Morrow/Harper Collins

   Three sisters in 1947 India are coming of age just as Partition tears their world apart. Each sister's character is very well defined in the days leading up to the chaos and massacres - one a practical but romantic homebody, one a beautiful talented singer and one who wants to follow her father into medicine. Divakaruni interjects brief lyrical pieces that keep us tied to history and does a fine job of showing how each sister changes to face the horrors of their changing world. There is family strife and romance in the novel as it gives a female-centered view of the nightmare of Partition.

   There is also a recent New Yorker article "Blood Lines" by Parul Sehgal (January 2 & 9, 2023) which gives a more in depth look at the literature about this time.

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