Full name: Cracking India: A Novel

Author: Bapsi Sidhwa Year: 1988 Rank: Rating: Original Rating: Pop Rating: Genres/categories: Fiction, Historical fiction Cultures: India, Pakistan Purchase/reserch links: Amazon Goodreads LibraryThing ISBNs: 9781571310484 1571310487

The 1947 Partition of India is the backdrop for this powerful novel, narrated by a precocious child who describes the brutal transition with chilling veracity. Young Lenny Sethi is kept out of school because she suffers from polio. She spends her days with Ayah, her beautiful nanny, visiting with the large group of admirers that Ayah draws. It is in the company of these working class characters that Lenny learns about religious differences, religious intolerance, and the blossoming genocidal strife on the eve of Partition. As she matures, Lenny begins to identify the differences between the Hindus, Moslems, and Sikhs engaging in political arguments all around her. Lenny enjoys a happy, privileged life in Lahore, but the kidnapping of her beloved Ayah signals a dramatic change. Soon Lenny's world erupts in religious, ethnic, and racial violence. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, the domestic drama serves as a microcosm for a profound political upheaval. Similar books: What the Body Remembers by Shauna Singh Baldwin The Crow Eaters by Bapsi Sidhwa An Atlas of Impossible Longing by Anuradha Roy Mandala by Pearl S. Buck Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh Bhowani Junction by John Masters The Raj Quartet by Paul Scott Staying On by Paul Scott The Day of the Scorpion by Paul Scott Partitions by Amit Majmudar The House of Blue Mangoes by David Davidar The Towers of Silence by Paul Scott Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai Salt and Saffron by Kamila Shamsie Red Earth and Pouring Rain by Vikram Chandra A Division of the Spoils by Paul Scott The Pakistani Bride by Bapsi Sidhwa The Storyteller's Secret by Sejal Badani The Orphan Keeper by Camron Wright The Sleeping Dictionary by Sujata Massey