I do not understand the criteria for qualifying for Booker now do I know the politics behind the award ( all awards have politics behind them, at the risk of sounding like a sceptic ), however I have a different take on Inheritance of Loss compared to the other reviews posted so far.
Plot : The plot doesnt start emerging till the 150th page of the book. Till then we are reading about Kalimpong, the judge, Sai, Lola, Mutt etc etc and trying to figure out what role each will have to play by the end of the story. The plot starts somewhere in the second half of the book. If you are waiting for something to happen, you have to hold your patience till the latter part. In that sense, I found it to be a tad bit too slow for my liking.
Characterisation : I like the characterisation of the cook the most in this book. Its a live wire character with myriad shades. Very nicely etched. Sai comes across as a bit stony and somewhat not complete. She seemed to have minimal impact from the desertion of her parents and also seems to be somewhat blind to her grand father’s persoanlity flaws. I would expect a 15 year old with raging hormones to absolutely hate the man her grandfather is portrayed to be. In that sense, she seems to be too-good-to-be-true. Gyan is good and his inner turmoils are well portrayed.
Relevance : I want to emphasise on relevance of the plot. They setting and era of the story were not that relevant to me...it is of course the book writer’s prerogative to choose her themes and experiences. But, as reading is a very personal occupation for most , I would like to say that the plot/theme is not very contemporary and hence those who like to read non-poetic plots, may find this a trifle boring.
Language : Flowery, good.
Enjoyment : The enjoyment factor is lacking. Inspite of the language, characterisation I am forced to hang on to the narrative in hope of something better ahead , which does come up sometime later.
Overall, its an average plot which is written well.
But Booker ??????!!! Why ?