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katy_bee's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I'm still getting my head around this one. It's very dense and the stream of consciousness style of writing means and obscures the meaning. It's one you have to concentrate for.
It also takes a while to get going and I find myself wishing it had got further along sooner.
However, I got into the style and flow of writing in time and it was interesting to read about the lives, relationships and histories of the characters
It also takes a while to get going and I find myself wishing it had got further along sooner.
However, I got into the style and flow of writing in time and it was interesting to read about the lives, relationships and histories of the characters
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and War
melodyseestrees's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I read an uncorrected proof and I am someone who lacks cultural understanding of the culture within the text. With these notions in mind I continue.
I still enjoyed the story and was fully aware that several of the nuances escaped my understanding. For example the Rosie was handled throughout the tale felt strange to me. The relationship between KK and Beti. The relationships between Beti and her siblings. The unreliable narrator factor within a character we had implicitly trusted.
It is on me as a reader for not researching the factors I did not find easy to understand and I do recommend thoroughly reading the translators notes as well as doing your own research. The tale is subtle in its whimsy and serious in its message. This is an important story for many people to read, even though it will take work on their part to mend the cultural gap. The writing style is different to that of many stories published for an American audience. I think that is beautiful. Take your time, write in your copy, highlight sections.
I still enjoyed the story and was fully aware that several of the nuances escaped my understanding. For example the Rosie was handled throughout the tale felt strange to me. The relationship between KK and Beti. The relationships between Beti and her siblings. The unreliable narrator factor within a character we had implicitly trusted.
It is on me as a reader for not researching the factors I did not find easy to understand and I do recommend thoroughly reading the translators notes as well as doing your own research. The tale is subtle in its whimsy and serious in its message. This is an important story for many people to read, even though it will take work on their part to mend the cultural gap. The writing style is different to that of many stories published for an American audience. I think that is beautiful. Take your time, write in your copy, highlight sections.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Xenophobia, and War
Moderate: Transphobia, Trafficking, and Murder
Minor: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and War
deedireads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Tomb of Sand, translated to English from the Hindi, is a masterpiece of both storytelling and translation. I’ve simply never read anything like it.
For you if: You love language, are OK with feeling unmoored while reading, and aren’t afraid of a challenge that’s very much worth it.
FULL REVIEW:
TL;DR REVIEW:
Tomb of Sand, translated to English from the Hindi, is a masterpiece of both storytelling and translation. I’ve simply never read anything like it.
For you if: You love language, are OK with feeling unmoored while reading, and aren’t afraid of a challenge that’s very much worth it.
FULL REVIEW:
“Once you’ve got women and a border, a story can write itself. Even women on their own are enough. Women are stories in themselves, full of stirrings and whisperings that float on the wind, that bend with each blade of grass.”
Whew, where to start with this one? While Tomb of Sand isn’t going to be quite right for every reader, there’s simply no denying that it’s a masterpiece of both storytelling and — as for Daisy Rockwell’s English from the Hindi — translation. It’s also unlike anything I’ve ever read before, which was both exciting and challenging. I’m so glad it won the International Booker Prize, prompting so many of my friends to read it and recommend it to me over and over.
Told in three parts, the book is about the matriarch of a family in India and her daughter. In part 1, Ma grieves the death of her husband and won't get out of bed. In part 2, she moves in with Beti and deepens her friendship with a hijra (trans) woman named Rosie. In part 3, Ma and Beti travel abroad and we come to realize just how much about her we did not know.
As I said, this book challenges the reader — at least, it will challenge Western readers (which I think is a very good thing, tbh). It asks us for patience and trust, looping and playing and experimenting and waxing and taking every shape but a linear one. The narrator’s voice reminds me of a capering jester, and reading it feels like you’re flying on the wind that moves around, above, and between everyone and everything. The wordplay is joyful and begs you to admire the care Rockwell took with this translation. There were, admittedly, parts where I zoned out a bit, allowing myself to just be carried along — but honestly, I think that also felt like kind of the point.
This book is for those who love language for language’s sake, and for those who are interested in exploring themes like borders (physical, imagined, cultural, of the self), family structure, nature, and joy itself. (It won’t be for those who prefer things to be relatively straightforward, or feel uncomfortable when unmoored, or prefer a book carried by plot.)
I was moved, provoked, impressed. And so very glad I read this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Transphobia, and Grief
Moderate: Violence and War
Minor: Murder
afion's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Transphobia
Moderate: Body horror and War
bookishcori's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I loved this book. It’s not straightforward and you have to trust through some passages (also possibly google if you’re not familiar with Indian/Pakistan history). But this is a beautiful story about so many things, but especially all the “borders” that exist in life (countries, gender, ethnicities, societal expectations, etc).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Xenophobia, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia
Minor: Violence and War