Official Review: Circle of Fate by Prita Warrier

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ananya92
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Official Review: Circle of Fate by Prita Warrier

Post by ananya92 »

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Circle of Fate" by Prita Warrier.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Circle of Fate by Prita Warrier is a novel written in the fiction genre. It narrates the story of Devaki and her grand-daughter Sheela, in the backdrop of a scenic village in Kerala, India.

The story unfolds with Sheela, arriving at Kerala, the birth place of her parents. She is an Indian American who is born and brought up in the US. She has recently lost her parents and now comes to India to meet her grandmother, her only living relative. After the death of her parents, she finds that her home of two decades has become alien to her, and she is no longer able to relate to her life in America, in anyway. She thinks that coming back to her native country and reaching out to her relatives will change everything for the better. However, life has other plans. Devaki, her grandmother, received the news of her son and daughter-in-law’s demise on the phone. After her only son, Naresh, fought and left her, she had an intuition that she was never going to see him again in this life. Now with her granddaughter coming to India, hope has again entered Devaki’s heart. But will her grandchild remain with her in India or leave her, like her father? What is the terrible secret that she is hiding from Sheela?

The author’s writing style is beautiful. The imageries crafted by the author are colorful, yet realistic. They aptly describe the hustle-bustle of life in Madras, or serenity of the village in Kerala. Her description of the people, their temples, their festivals, etc is witty and believable. The author has made the use of simple and touching words in expressing the emotions of her characters. She has crafted characters which are believable and display myriad human traits. The author has also successfully switched from the pre-independence era to the post-independence era in the pages of her book and has painted a vivid image of Communist Kerala.

The greatest strength of this book is its characters and the story they have to tell. The author has dealt with various themes through her story like prejudice bred through the caste system, landlordism, elitism, gender bias, superstition, Oedipus complex, Anglophilia and racial prejudice. The author’s description of the loss felt by Sheela, the attempts by Sheela and Devaki to fill the void in their lives through each others company and Devaki’s guilt, is emotionally charged. The author has also dealt with the feeling of not belonging anywhere felt by Sheela. Sheela had been led to expect a lot from India due to the images created by her parents, and when the reality did not match her dreams, she felt cheated by her parents. The author has explained the motivations behind the actions of all the characters in her book. The story shows how hatred only begets hatred and how this hatred can drive a person to such levels of insanity that they forget the difference between good and bad.

Circle of Fate is a wonderful story that will strike a chord with every non-resident Indian trying to understand their strange native country. When does belief in the designs of the Almighty transform into blind faith, which only looks at satisfying its obsession? Why are people, even those who are well educated, prone to superstition and irrational beliefs?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and rate it 4 out of 4.

******
Circle of Fate
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debo9967
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Post by debo9967 »

This seems like an emotionally charged story. Nice review.
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ananya92
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Post by ananya92 »

Thanks :)
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