The Vine of Desire by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

The Vine of Desire

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

A lyrical, gentle novel about two Indian sisters living in California, who move through unhappy experiences of marriage and motherhood, to a new sense of self. Interesting view of what life is like for an immigrant in the USA.

Extract
Have we underestimated Sudha? ... She walks across the room, her back erect. Here is the woman who cut through her mother-in-law's plots to control her womb. Who stepped from the security of wifehood onto the stony path of being a mother, alone, in a country where such things meant shame. Who braved the new rules of a new continent because she wanted more in life than a man to take care of her.
Parallels
  • The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
  • Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai
  • Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri