jmatkinson1's review against another edition
5.0
Shyama is a successful businesswoman, owner of a popular beauty salon and a divorced mother of a student daughter. However Shyama wants another child with her partner Toby, a younger man, and she is told that she will not be able to have one naturally. Mala is an intelligent but impoverished Indian woman, her family died leaving little dowry and Mala's husband thinks that getting Mala to act as a surrogate for a wealthy couple will allow them live a little more comfortably. Inevitably the lives of Shyama and Mala meet as Mala becomes the surrogate for Shyama and Toby's child but as Shyama's aged parents fight to regain their investments in India and Tara, her daughter, suffers in London, Shyama is torn between her family, her culture and her ambition.
Syal is a well-known actress and her previous novels have veered towards the comedic element, this one is different. On the surface this is a story about two women, one with money and one without, but the subplots explore so much more. Tara suffers an assault in the the UK and then travels to India to support women's rights, so changing. Mala travels to the UK and flourishes, Syama's parents have to take legal action against their own family to possess what is theirs by right. The constant theme is one which compares the life and freedoms of women in the UK with those of women in India, either through caste, fertility or sexual rights, and this makes the book far more thoughtful that it initially seems.
Syal is a well-known actress and her previous novels have veered towards the comedic element, this one is different. On the surface this is a story about two women, one with money and one without, but the subplots explore so much more. Tara suffers an assault in the the UK and then travels to India to support women's rights, so changing. Mala travels to the UK and flourishes, Syama's parents have to take legal action against their own family to possess what is theirs by right. The constant theme is one which compares the life and freedoms of women in the UK with those of women in India, either through caste, fertility or sexual rights, and this makes the book far more thoughtful that it initially seems.
louhack's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
snoakes7001's review against another edition
5.0
The House of Hidden Mothers is about Shyama and her younger partner Toby and their desire for a child which leads them down the surrogacy route.
Using the perspective of three generations of Shyama's family Meera Syal explores the different experiences and attitudes of British Indians both at home and when visiting relatives. It's more than a cosy domestic drama though as barley beneath the surface seethes anger and indignation. More than one subplot involves violence to women, making it a deeper and more interesting read than it seems at first glance.
It's a thoroughly enjoyable and engrossing read - let's hope we don't have to wait as long for the next one.
Using the perspective of three generations of Shyama's family Meera Syal explores the different experiences and attitudes of British Indians both at home and when visiting relatives. It's more than a cosy domestic drama though as barley beneath the surface seethes anger and indignation. More than one subplot involves violence to women, making it a deeper and more interesting read than it seems at first glance.
It's a thoroughly enjoyable and engrossing read - let's hope we don't have to wait as long for the next one.
clairewhitmore's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mrsruthiewebb's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this book. A lot happens and there are many threads to weave together. It had a slow pace and the writing drifts between people, places and memories. It was hard to follow and I had to focus so it wasn’t a relaxing read.
This final few chapters were good. Some very powerful stories came through but I was still left with disappointment in Shyama. Ultimately she was the person who set off on this journey for a baby. Instead, as nice as it was that she found herself, she facilitated this new life, causing many ripples in the water. It was like she walked away at the end and I had so. many unanswered questions about Toby’s feelings and how life was left for him. I felt Shyama had to take so much more responsibility for her actions.
Overall, not a terrible book. The story itself had interest and emotion (in parts). Chapters were too long for me and reading it felt like a slog. It hasn’t put me off reading some of the authors other books and I’ve heard great things about those.
This final few chapters were good. Some very powerful stories came through but I was still left with disappointment in Shyama. Ultimately she was the person who set off on this journey for a baby. Instead, as nice as it was that she found herself, she facilitated this new life, causing many ripples in the water. It was like she walked away at the end and I had so. many unanswered questions about Toby’s feelings and how life was left for him. I felt Shyama had to take so much more responsibility for her actions.
Overall, not a terrible book. The story itself had interest and emotion (in parts). Chapters were too long for me and reading it felt like a slog. It hasn’t put me off reading some of the authors other books and I’ve heard great things about those.
elenasquareeyes's review
3.0
The House of Hidden Mothers has a lot happening in it. While the main storyline is Shyama and Toby’s quest to have a child and how that brings Mala into their lives and affects their family and friends, the other family members each have their own problems too. Prem and Sita have been battling in the courts for their property (which has been taken over by relatives) for decades and their blind faith in the law where it is so easily corrupt has left them almost broken. Tara was the most fascinating character for me, her relationship with her mother really isn’t that great – her mum is so focussed on having a new baby that she ends up neglecting Tara and doesn’t notice when anything’s wrong or just puts it down to Tara being a teenager – and bad things happen to her but she works through them and finds a cause she really wants to fight for and embraces her Indian roots.
The House of Hidden Mothers is really about women and their relationships and their rights and freedoms. Both Toby and Prem do get to show their side of the story but more often than not it shows that the women are the stronger ones who will fight for what they want. Tara gets really involved in women’s rights and the real life event of the 2012 Delhi gang rape is featured and how that affects Tara and spurs her on. Mala wants a better life for herself, she can speak and read English far better than anyone presumes she can and she has a thirst for knowledge and the chance to live her life how she wants to. Shyama will do just about anything to get a child and it does put a strain on her friendships but I kind of liked that as it showed that women don’t always agree with each other but most of the time, they’ll still be there for a friend if and when they need it.
Other themes The House of Hidden Mothers touched upon are surrogacy and race and culture. All are fascinating topics and the way different characters deal with them is interesting as it shows that feelings towards ones race or social class can be complicated. That being said, they are topics that are only really broadly touched upon and along with violence towards women which Tara is passionate about, they don’t always seem to get the focus they deserve. It seems like the author wanted to talk about so many important things but then couldn’t always do them justice as she also had to move the plot forward.
I had a really odd relationship with this book, especially the last 100 pages or so. I think it’s because I could see that it was very likely that there wouldn’t be a happy ending for everyone because it had at its heart a very realistic family with realistic problems. It felt like I was watching a car crash and I couldn’t look away. It took me a while to finish it because of this. I just didn’t want to see characters in pain and suffering, that being said, though there is sadness there’s glimmers of hope too – which I think is true to life too.
There are no bad guys in The House of Hidden Mothers but that doesn’t stop bad things from happening. If you’d like to read a family drama that also includes stuff on race, culture and women’s rights then this book could be for you.
The House of Hidden Mothers is really about women and their relationships and their rights and freedoms. Both Toby and Prem do get to show their side of the story but more often than not it shows that the women are the stronger ones who will fight for what they want. Tara gets really involved in women’s rights and the real life event of the 2012 Delhi gang rape is featured and how that affects Tara and spurs her on. Mala wants a better life for herself, she can speak and read English far better than anyone presumes she can and she has a thirst for knowledge and the chance to live her life how she wants to. Shyama will do just about anything to get a child and it does put a strain on her friendships but I kind of liked that as it showed that women don’t always agree with each other but most of the time, they’ll still be there for a friend if and when they need it.
Other themes The House of Hidden Mothers touched upon are surrogacy and race and culture. All are fascinating topics and the way different characters deal with them is interesting as it shows that feelings towards ones race or social class can be complicated. That being said, they are topics that are only really broadly touched upon and along with violence towards women which Tara is passionate about, they don’t always seem to get the focus they deserve. It seems like the author wanted to talk about so many important things but then couldn’t always do them justice as she also had to move the plot forward.
I had a really odd relationship with this book, especially the last 100 pages or so. I think it’s because I could see that it was very likely that there wouldn’t be a happy ending for everyone because it had at its heart a very realistic family with realistic problems. It felt like I was watching a car crash and I couldn’t look away. It took me a while to finish it because of this. I just didn’t want to see characters in pain and suffering, that being said, though there is sadness there’s glimmers of hope too – which I think is true to life too.
There are no bad guys in The House of Hidden Mothers but that doesn’t stop bad things from happening. If you’d like to read a family drama that also includes stuff on race, culture and women’s rights then this book could be for you.
vkcwy's review
5.0
Devastating, brilliant - I read it in one sitting as it was utterly unputdownable.
khoonsurat's review
3.0
Always a treat to read Syal. She is phenomenal with coming up with effortless and original turns of phrases, with evocative imagery that borders on poetic. Reading her books is like eating a rich dessert where every flavor is complex but doesn't weigh you down from the cholesterol.
I loved the nuance she brought to surrogacy, how it's a terrible exploitative structure but sometimes, also the only way out, the larger link to violence against women. Mala wasn't a regular character with her own shortcomings; she was the overplayed underdog trope, worthy of redemption in every way (smart, fertile, beautiful). I mean, you can give a village-woman a way out waisay bhi. I don't understand the need to make them earn it by emphasizing all the lost potential, like people only exist to serve the needs of society, structures, others wanting to consume their services, etc. It's okay to let her have shortcomings so she's a whole person, instead of a perfect chef, producer, waghaira waghaira. She was this bright sharp bird and I got tired of the lack of depth very quickly.
Mala was constantly sold as this Gully-Boy story of overcoming adversity by sheer brilliance and wits alone, which feels like an over-compensation. 'Hey, don't you dare pity this character! You can't! See how smart she is? See how beautiful? She's very emphatically NOT. A. VICTIM. Look, the subaltern speak and every word from her mouth is wisdom because she's just that genius.' Being a victim doesn't make a character weaker or less impressive. Them breaking down is not a source of shame. For this reason, Shyama came out on top. She had massive flaws (in denial, stubborn, alienating her daughter by refusing to listen, trying to run away from her mistakes instead of confronting them) but she grew from them, instead of having no flaws and no growth.
Another thing that made me uncomfortable was the weird patriotism in the second half of the novel, with the idea that the UK is some haven of equality that will allow Mala unprecedented freedom. I'm sorry, what? Tara's little speech about mixing and creativity was laughable because you only need to read testimonies from Dalit Indians to find out that Indian communities segregate them and avoid them just as much as they do back home. The power dynamics may be easier to avoid by dispersing but they don't go away. Young 'liberal' Indians are only new versions of their parents, reproducing a new form of casteism.
I appreciate the nuance Syal brought to the table about the nature of diasporas and their complicated relationship with the country of origin. It's true that they're not a monolith that enjoys massive class privilege over every single person still living back home, true that the local bourgeoisie can (and does) exploit the working class in the diaspora, but that doesn't absolve the UK of its crimes in turning up the casteism, in robbing the subcontinent and forcing migrants to flee to the core for opportunities. The diaspora thrives IN SPITE of the host country, not because of its laws.
Still at a loss about the purpose Toby served in the story. He was some white weirdo who was obsessed with the sexualized science of reproduction and Indian women and felt deeply insecure about a woman out-earning him. Did I miss the story challenging that fragile masculinity? Because I don't remember catching that. Speaking of which, I know this is probably an age thing and I won't understand until I'm older but the description of wanting a child was so strangely obsessive and outdated. The gender roles being described in the process were so backward; this wasn't just a couple wanting a child together but a third-person narrator sighing fondly about how our anatomy apparently makes us all animals. I know it makes us hormonal but there's a big difference between insinuating that and glorifying men acting like apes about reproduction. That doesn't put women on a pedestal and give them some weird power (like the book so desperately wants us to believe as a form of empowerment). It's just a thing they do, at great damage to themselves. Women are not valuable for what they do but for who they are.
Useful for the nuance it brings to what are otherwise statistics, about the relationship of the diaspora to the home but fell short of developing that nuance as though it was afraid about asking the really daring questions. It often fell into tired tropes with many characters but less with Shyama (and Priya, another interesting character who deserved more attention). Some stories try too hard to raise their underdog characters and that just yields a new stereotype, who is limited (but in new ways).
I loved the nuance she brought to surrogacy, how it's a terrible exploitative structure but sometimes, also the only way out, the larger link to violence against women.
Spoiler
The insta-love angle between Toby and Mala was hard to buy, especially when the description for Mala verged on exoticizing her.Mala was constantly sold as this Gully-Boy story of overcoming adversity by sheer brilliance and wits alone, which feels like an over-compensation. 'Hey, don't you dare pity this character! You can't! See how smart she is? See how beautiful? She's very emphatically NOT. A. VICTIM. Look, the subaltern speak and every word from her mouth is wisdom because she's just that genius.' Being a victim doesn't make a character weaker or less impressive. Them breaking down is not a source of shame. For this reason, Shyama came out on top. She had massive flaws (in denial, stubborn, alienating her daughter by refusing to listen, trying to run away from her mistakes instead of confronting them) but she grew from them, instead of having no flaws and no growth.
Another thing that made me uncomfortable was the weird patriotism in the second half of the novel, with the idea that the UK is some haven of equality that will allow Mala unprecedented freedom. I'm sorry, what? Tara's little speech about mixing and creativity was laughable because you only need to read testimonies from Dalit Indians to find out that Indian communities segregate them and avoid them just as much as they do back home. The power dynamics may be easier to avoid by dispersing but they don't go away. Young 'liberal' Indians are only new versions of their parents, reproducing a new form of casteism.
I appreciate the nuance Syal brought to the table about the nature of diasporas and their complicated relationship with the country of origin. It's true that they're not a monolith that enjoys massive class privilege over every single person still living back home, true that the local bourgeoisie can (and does) exploit the working class in the diaspora, but that doesn't absolve the UK of its crimes in turning up the casteism, in robbing the subcontinent and forcing migrants to flee to the core for opportunities. The diaspora thrives IN SPITE of the host country, not because of its laws.
Still at a loss about the purpose Toby served in the story. He was some white weirdo who was obsessed with the sexualized science of reproduction and Indian women and felt deeply insecure about a woman out-earning him. Did I miss the story challenging that fragile masculinity? Because I don't remember catching that.
Spoiler
It also devalues Mala, because if Toby has a problem with strong women and he's attracted to Mala, what does that say about Mala?Useful for the nuance it brings to what are otherwise statistics, about the relationship of the diaspora to the home but fell short of developing that nuance as though it was afraid about asking the really daring questions. It often fell into tired tropes with many characters but less with Shyama (and Priya, another interesting character who deserved more attention). Some stories try too hard to raise their underdog characters and that just yields a new stereotype, who is limited (but in new ways).