Vikram Seth — A Suitable Boy

Phoenix House 1993 Hardback, 1349pp. A Suitable Boy written by Vikram Seth, is set in the Post-Independence India of the 1950s, with the scars of the partition still fresh in the lives and memories of the people who lived through it. However, this is not a political novel and centers around four families, especially the Mehras. The story begins in the fictional town of Brahmpur, located in the Gangetic plains, and eventually shifts to other locations including Delhi, Calcutta, and Kanpur. A Suitable Boy: 20th Anniversary Edition centers around the efforts of Mrs. Rupa Mehra to find a suitable match for her youngest daughter, Lata. Apart from the Mehras, the story revolves around the families of the Kapoors, Chatterjees, and the Khans. The dynamics of the relationships of the members of these families with each other also reflects the social and political changes taking place in the newly independent country. The religious and communal tensions, the social upheavals, and political reforms all form interesting threads in the narrative. The lives of the four families are intertwined and their links inescapable, despite many differences. With the story of the four families forming the main plotline, the book also focuses on the broader changes taking place in the country. The caste-system, the reforms on untouchability, the abolition of the zamindari system, land reforms, and the 1952 elections all play critical roles in the story. No DJ; Heavy. Foxing to page edges. (ISBN: 9781897580202). Good.