THE FAR FIELD BY MADHURI VIJAY

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BOOK NAME: THE FAR FIELD

AUTHOR NAME: MADHURI VIJAY

GENRE: CONTEMPORARY FICTION, POLITICAL FICTION

PUBLISHER: FOURTH ESTATE INDIA ( HARPERCOLLINS INDIA)

BOOK BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.in/Far-Field-Madhuri-Vijay/dp/9353570956


I finally read this book that was waiting on my shelf for so long that I even forgot I owned it. What prompted me to pick it up was my quest to read books based on Kashmir for the readathon. Nevertheless, just the perfect time to read it. 


Shalini, a 30-something onlyborn to wealthy parents, shares her life journey from childhood to adulthood. She starts with her mother, with whom she shares a wavering relationship. Sometimes, she understands her and wants to be just like her. And at other times, she is confused about her behaviour and wants to avoid her drama. 


After losing her mother, she feels an irresistible urge to find Bashir Ahmed, a textile salesman who used to visit her house years ago. Shalini thinks he might have the answer to her mother's death and starts on a journey to Kashmir, leaving her father behind. In Kashmir, she is welcomed by the locals who take her in as their own, and she finally finds her way to Bashir Ahmed. The political situation in Kashmir and the struggles of the people who made her feel welcome who now turned into a part of her life makes her befuddled. 




Madhuri's writing was such a pleasure to the mind with its back-and-forth narrative from Shalini's childhood to the present day in Kashmir. The political tension in Kashmir, the everyday struggle of ordinary people and the tiff between militants, commoners and soldiers have been narrated meticulously. While I loved the narration and the writing, shalini as a narrator and protagonist was not much likeable and was very unreliable. 


Given her lifestyle and freedom of choice, I wouldn't have done the same if I were her. She irked me at places where she portrayed herself as the victim while completely neglecting her mother. Even when Amina and Riaz's family took her in, she did try to mess up. Sorry for the spoiler here(skip if you don't want to read this), but calling someone their best friend and trying to wreck their family isn't the greatest thing to do, and they can't cover it up by calling themself stupid or naive. Mind you; you did have a chance to leave. It was not your home in the first place.


Yes, apart from the super-irky Shalini, the other characters are likeable and more relatable. I loved the Kashmiri set-up in the book, the political scenario coverage, the tensions between communities, the political vendetta behind it, and much more. If you need one more reason to read this book, it won the JCB prize for literature in 2019 and owns a lot of other literary accolades too. 



MY REVIEW: 4/5

#penbooksandscalpel

This is a part of Blogchatter’s #TBRChallenge

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