Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai

"Fasting, Feasting" by Anita Desai. This book was shortlisted for Booker prize in 1999, but lost to JM Coetzee's Disgrace.

This book is written in two parts. 1st part is story of Uma. A dim witted, unintelligent and ugly girl with defective eyes and who is prone to fits. Her education is forfeited to allow her to look after her baby brother. The book depicts her life, the opportunities that were denied to her, the secondary treatment she was given by her parents and siblings. How she was always considered misfit and a non entity. And although all of it is true she is a human being who can think and feel just like all of us. Some sympathize with her, some patronize her, some insult her, some scold her, some ignore her but no one treats her as equal or tries to understand her feelings.

2nd part is the story of one summer spent by Arun (Uma's brother) with Patton family in America, when he has to vacate his dorm during vacation. Here the world is shown through Arun's eyes. The difference in the lifestyles between America and India, Arun's uneasiness, his difficulty to adjust and socialize. However eventually we are all human beings and he manages to find similarities in Patton's and his own family.

The author has adopted an impartial style of narration which is a change. The story is slow, very slow and largely uneventful, peppered with small observations. 1st part ends abruptly and 2nd part begins. Apart from the fact that Uma and Arun are siblings, these two could have been two different stories. 1st part is better than 2nd.

Since this is a small book one can complete it. Had it been twice it's length, I would have opted out. You can not help sympathizing with Uma and Arun. Uma is neither mad nor retarded but is treated like one. The feelings that she would have liked to experience, she experiences through others. Arun is a misfit in a foreign land trying to adopt to the lay of the land.

Fasting, feasting is a contrast between female and male child. Fasting, feasting is also a contrast between America and India, but which is which?

An OK read.