DINNER AT THE HOMESICK RESTAURANT BY ANNE TYLER

-

BOOK NAME: DINNER AT THE HOMESICK RESTAURANT

AUTHOR NAME: ANNE TYLER

GENRE: DOMESTIC/ LITERARY FICTION

PUBLISHER: VINTAGE BOOKS

BOOK BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.in/Dinner-Homesick-Restaurant-Anne-Tyler/dp/0099916401



BOOK COVER IMAGE




BOOK REVIEW

Remember when your grandma used to tell you stories as you followed her like a shadow before falling asleep in her warm, comfy hug? Well, yes, I do. Watching my Nani narrate me stories as I gape at her with dreamy eyes bewitched by the characters in her tales, the effortless narration as if she had done it a hundred times already or even lived through it, the vivid and lifelike dramatics and the turn of events is a photographic memory etched forever in my brain. And yeah, I think if my Nani had ever decided to publish her tales, they would have sounded just like this book. 


Anne Tyler's storytelling, too, feels so intimate; just that Tyler telling you her story will not put you to sleep but will make you very much alive. The characters in her book are a carnival themselves. They are fascinatingly real, relatable, all shades of grey and thought-provoking. The scenarios in her book seem to happen around us every day that we fail to notice, which she puts in a bigger frame with such clarity and precision. 


In this story, Pearl Tull, abandoned by her husband, finds bringing her three kids up suffocating. Jenny - the youngest and studious- endures the most as a child, grows up tormented, and suffers a string of broken marriages. Ezra - the middle child, kind and soft-spoken, is the perfect one who tries to string the family together after every disaster. Cody - the elder one, is strong and arrogant, and his only mission in life is to be better than Ezra and defeat him even when there is no contest. After every catastrophe, Ezra tries to have at least one normal family dinner at his "homesick" restaurant, but something seems to fall apart every time. Will he ever be successful in getting them all to stay until the end without killing each other? 


At this point, I think I will love anything Tyler writes about dysfunctional families. The characters in her book are unique, though they are entirely regular, and she captures the scenarios in the daily lives of her characters with an eye that any human tends to miss. The sibling rivalry, the burnout of a single parent, the teeny bit of jealousy among family members - everything, everything is written to the point. Tyler really hit the bullseye with this one. My only concern was that I personally felt Ezra deserved much better and Cody needed a reality check. Though the ending felt very abrupt and lacking, I do feel she writes what happens in real instead of giving fictional twists to them. Pick this one because Anne Tyler can never disappoint.



MY REVIEW: 4.5/5 

This is a part of Blogchatter’s #TBRchallenge

#penbooksandscalpel

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CHAPTER 1 - ALIZA AND AHMED

-
Image
Their eyes met for the second time in the day. Every time this happens, Aliza feels a ticklish sensation in her stomach. It's not that they have not been closer than just eye contact, but the jitters won't leave her alone. Her mother-in-law was busy scooping out the last few morsels of chicken from the bowl with a creaking noise that numbed Aliza's ears. Her father-in-law was lost in thoughts enjoying his chicken malai korma and tempered ghee rice.   ‘Aliza, can you get me some warm water?’ Aliza comes running with a jar of water to fulfil her new wife's duties, and Ahmed finds his moment just when Aliza is filling his tumbler and his parents are busy eating. He pokes her in the hip, which is faintly visible between her saree fold and her blouse. Aliza winces and moves behind quickly. She turns around to ensure no one has witnessed it and promptly returns to work, flashing a smile. Ahmed had to steal moments like these between daily activities because the house was alwa
Read more

CHAPTER 4 - DISTANCE MATTERS

-
Image
'Congratulations on your promotion and transfer. We are looking forward to your full commitment to us. Do get back to this letter at the earliest with your answer.' Read the crafted piece of paper. Ahmed's parents were delighted and jumping with joy. They were chanting 'Alhamdulillah' fervently while Aliza stood confused. She could not make anything of this news because Ahmed's promotion meant everything to her. But his transfer would only mean that Aliza must stay back with her in-laws while he would visit only during weekends. She would happily do so, too, if not for her unsupportive mother-in-law. Aliza wanted to cry, and her eyes brimmed with tears that the world looked like a smudged canvas laying still in front of her. She looked at Ahmed pleadingly and waited until 10 to ask him if he really wanted to go. Asking in front of her in-laws would only mean the end of her good days. Ahmed did not look up because he knew what his transfer meant for both of them.
Read more

CHAPTER 2 - THE BACKSTORY - ALIZA

-
Image
  Aliza is the middle child of her family, with two older siblings and two younger ones. She did not always get her parents' attention because the oldest or the youngest sibling often stole it. She was mostly brought up by her oldest sister, Razia, who made sure she bathed, ate, and went to school on time. After Razia's marriage, her next older sibling Fahim brought home his wife, who had sworn to taunt Aliza all her life. Her younger twin siblings Samir and Ameera were at school, and they often stayed outdoors playing. So Aliza grew up to be the one taking care of her siblings while also managing to thrive herself. After finishing high school, she wanted to join college because her friends were also planning to, and they said studying in college will help a lot in the future. She was also the captain of her school's volleyball team and was a tough player. Aliza thought she could pursue her ambitions after school if she managed to convince her father. But her relatives had
Read more