Madras on Rainy Days: A Novel
By Samina Ali
3/5
()
About this ebook
Set against the backdrop of the ancient walled city of Hyderabad and mounting Hindu-Muslim tensions, Madras on Rainy Days lyrically evokes the complexities of life behind the chador. A gorgeously written novel by an original new voice in international fiction.
Layla is torn among clashing identities--dutiful Muslim daughter and free, independent American woman. When she is nineteen, her parents inform Layla that a marriage has been arranged for her to an Indian man she doesn't know. A stunned Layla submits reluctantly but not before she commits a dangerous, final act of defiance. In the heat and noise of Hyderabad, as her wedding looms, her behavior becomes more and more erratic. Her mother, fearing demonic possession, takes Layla to a Muslim faith-healer, an alim, hoping to exorcise all traces of rebellion. To Layla's surprise, the ancient and elaborate wedding rituals, her groom's physical beauty, and the unexpectedly warm welcome of her new family fill her with a sense of belonging she has never known before. But her honeymoon in Madras soon reveals the full horror of the devil's bargain she has struck.
Samina Ali
Samina Ali was born in Hyderabad, India, and raised both in India and the US. She received her MFA from the University of Oregon. Madras On Rainy Days is her debut novel.
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Reviews for Madras on Rainy Days
51 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Heart-touching reading. Thank you Samina Ali for this awsome book!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Picked this up a month or so back when I stopped in to release some books on the shelf. Read it while on a trip to Atlanta. Having lived in India, and in a highly Muslim area, I was interested to read many of the details, especially in the beginning, about weddings and commitments. But I also found the writing a little ambiguous in some crucial areas. For instance, for the longest time, I was unclear if Layla needed a good Ob/Gyn, psychiatrist, or exorcism. The "mystery" of her husband's behavior was no real mystery to people immersed in Western culture, but the author stuck to the point of view of the east, which, while frustrating to this reader, was truthful to the thrust of the story. I was a bit surprised when the "reveal" came 2/3 of the way through the book, and am still slightly stunned by the direction the author chose to take the story. Not a book for the faint-hearted, but a shockingly all-too-real depiction of some of the violence that still occurs when religious differences become involved.Part of my discomfort with this book has to do with having to read about seemingly senseless and unplanned violence, where the violence is simply against a type or class or group of people, and the victim is circumstantial (not that I approve of violence in a planned manner, but this type particularly scars my psyche.)