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A rich, Chekhovian novel by one of the most gifted of contemporary Indian writers’- The New Yorker the youngest, Tara – now a mother of two - has returned from America to the scene of her unusual, lonesome childhood. Here, as always, is her sister Bim, doggedly single college lecturer and caretaker of all. In her presence, Tara sinks into the blissful torpor of home, at once her dreamy old self, but careful as ever around her older sister. For at the heart of this reunion are numerous tensions: their autistic brother Baba is increasingly unquiet; Bim has not spoken to their other brother, Raja, for years and refuses to go to his daughter’s wedding; Tara feels the persistent guilt of having, like the others, abandoned her. Spanning the post-independence years from the 40s to the 80s, the sisters recall the death of Gandhi along with those of their parents, Raja’s infatuation with their neighboring Muslim family and the violence of Partition. For here is the tale of both modern India and one family’s struggle against disintegration. Clear Light of Day is vintage Anita Desai, a novel as wonderfully contemplative as a cup of afternoon tea.
ISBN - 9788184000153
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Pages : 250
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