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acsaper's review against another edition
4.0
Didn't know much, and still don't, about the fighting in, over, and for Kashmir.
anjukris's review against another edition
5.0
This one was hard to put down. It's one of those novels you wish would never end and yet, the ending - though fittingly tragic - left me reeling. It exposes one of the most ruthless truths of life - good intentions can have devastating consequences. Vijay's writing style is extremely riveting. It's her ability to paint a vivid imagery of everyday mundanities, and of Shalini's nuanced observations of a family living in a region ravaged by military occupation - without resorting to the privileged gaze - that appealed to me the most. This is a book I would definitely read again, only to discover new elements that I may have previously missed!
rzylynsky's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
booksreadbydeepti's review
4.0
Came across this book on my Instagram feed - was intrigued so pushed into my TBR list, finally got a chance to read it this month. A Very Intriguing read with lots of trauma strewn into the mix in a good way.
Shalini is one of those characters who has so many layers but they are hidden deep inside due to the circumstances she was brought up in and molded into based on the whims of her parents, because it is a purely dysfunctional family which is based on the personalities of her parents who seem to be together due to destiny, nothing more nothing less.
Things obviously change, when one of the pieces is broken and her mom passes away, when your life is so revolving around your parents, her life spirals out of control - it becomes a numbing game for her - be it alcohol or relationships. She soon realizes there needs to be an outlet - she tries to find a missing link - a close friend of her unhappy mother to get back the pieces in place, a piece of past which still haunts her - that pushes her into an adventure in Kashmir - which was the most surreal part of the book, that's when her true character came alive.
This book is more of a confession from her side, an outlet so that she can at least make peace and move forward even though she has made mistakes which are questionable but understanding when you break them down.
Personally, I felt for her, she must have gone through so much, as she tries to numb every time afterward with dumb stuff just because, she wants to stop feeling at all, that shows the pain she must have gone through from such a young age - where she was neglected due to priorities of her parents.
Shalini is one of those characters who has so many layers but they are hidden deep inside due to the circumstances she was brought up in and molded into based on the whims of her parents, because it is a purely dysfunctional family which is based on the personalities of her parents who seem to be together due to destiny, nothing more nothing less.
Things obviously change, when one of the pieces is broken and her mom passes away, when your life is so revolving around your parents, her life spirals out of control - it becomes a numbing game for her - be it alcohol or relationships. She soon realizes there needs to be an outlet - she tries to find a missing link - a close friend of her unhappy mother to get back the pieces in place, a piece of past which still haunts her - that pushes her into an adventure in Kashmir - which was the most surreal part of the book, that's when her true character came alive.
This book is more of a confession from her side, an outlet so that she can at least make peace and move forward even though she has made mistakes which are questionable but understanding when you break them down.
Personally, I felt for her, she must have gone through so much, as she tries to numb every time afterward with dumb stuff just because, she wants to stop feeling at all, that shows the pain she must have gone through from such a young age - where she was neglected due to priorities of her parents.
mersell's review
4.0
Quietly devastating. That's how I would sum up The Far Field. Vijay's prose isn't flowery or ornate. It tells the story simply, going back and forth in time as we follow the main character, as a child always close by her mother who doesn't fit in the world she occupies and as a young woman after her mother's suicide, trying and failing to find her own place in the world. She leaves home on a search for a man who used to tell stories to her and her mother, and the closer she gets to finding him, the more complex, ugly, she finds the world to be.
How do you know who you can trust? How do you know whose words you can believe? What is the actual truth and who has the power to decide whether the truth is declared as such or covered up with a stench of lies?
When you leave home and have a life-changing journey, can you ever fully share it with those you left behind? Why do people willfully leave everything they know?
The Far Field doesn't blatantly ask these questions, but it pokes at them through the actions and observations of its characters. It's not a fast-moving novel; it's not plot-driven, but it flows steadily and just when you start to feel like nothing is happening, the story takes a jarring turn.
How do you know who you can trust? How do you know whose words you can believe? What is the actual truth and who has the power to decide whether the truth is declared as such or covered up with a stench of lies?
When you leave home and have a life-changing journey, can you ever fully share it with those you left behind? Why do people willfully leave everything they know?
The Far Field doesn't blatantly ask these questions, but it pokes at them through the actions and observations of its characters. It's not a fast-moving novel; it's not plot-driven, but it flows steadily and just when you start to feel like nothing is happening, the story takes a jarring turn.
mansimudgal's review against another edition
2.0
The Far Field is the story of Shalini, her family and one Bashir Ahmed who used to come visit her and her mother years ago.
Bashir Ahmed belonged to a small village near Kishtwar in Jammu.
After the death of her mother Shalini decided to try to track him down, the reason is complicated and an important element of the story. The writer goes back and forth in time, talking of the afternoons spent with her mother and Bashir Ahmed, listening to his stories... her trips with her parents among other things.
.
The book should have been brilliant, it has all the markings of one; a complicated family dynamic, mental health issues, a successful father who is lost when it comes to his wife and daughter, a mother daughter relationship strife with equal parts love and hate. Add to this a volatile situation in Kashmir, the tussle between militants, army and the civilians... missing men and women, politics, religion and frustration should have made it great but what we get is all of it but watered down.
.
Shalini as a narrator is unlikable; her naivety is frustrating, unbelievable and frankly stupid. She repeatedly tells you how observant and aloof she is but repeatedly tries to assert herself in places she has no reason to and distances herself in a jiffy.
Her journey to Kashmir and back is essentially a whim of the rich and is devastating for others. Her relationship with her parents especially her mother is intriguing but we never really understand the what and why of it.
.
The turmoil in Kashmir and the issues of common folk is touched but so much of it is eaten up by pointless meandering of the narrator that it puts a damper on the whole exercise. A single boy carrying around a photo of his missing brother shows more depth than our narrator in the whole book.
At the heart of it all, the book is about cowardice, about class difference and family ties which are both blood bound and those that are formed.
.
There are better books out there on themes that the author wishes to discuss like The Tree with a Thousand Apples, Ghachar Ghochar, Girl in White Cotton, My Father’s Garden to name a few. ⭐️⭐️.5/5
Bashir Ahmed belonged to a small village near Kishtwar in Jammu.
After the death of her mother Shalini decided to try to track him down, the reason is complicated and an important element of the story. The writer goes back and forth in time, talking of the afternoons spent with her mother and Bashir Ahmed, listening to his stories... her trips with her parents among other things.
.
The book should have been brilliant, it has all the markings of one; a complicated family dynamic, mental health issues, a successful father who is lost when it comes to his wife and daughter, a mother daughter relationship strife with equal parts love and hate. Add to this a volatile situation in Kashmir, the tussle between militants, army and the civilians... missing men and women, politics, religion and frustration should have made it great but what we get is all of it but watered down.
.
Shalini as a narrator is unlikable; her naivety is frustrating, unbelievable and frankly stupid. She repeatedly tells you how observant and aloof she is but repeatedly tries to assert herself in places she has no reason to and distances herself in a jiffy.
Her journey to Kashmir and back is essentially a whim of the rich and is devastating for others. Her relationship with her parents especially her mother is intriguing but we never really understand the what and why of it.
.
The turmoil in Kashmir and the issues of common folk is touched but so much of it is eaten up by pointless meandering of the narrator that it puts a damper on the whole exercise. A single boy carrying around a photo of his missing brother shows more depth than our narrator in the whole book.
At the heart of it all, the book is about cowardice, about class difference and family ties which are both blood bound and those that are formed.
.
There are better books out there on themes that the author wishes to discuss like The Tree with a Thousand Apples, Ghachar Ghochar, Girl in White Cotton, My Father’s Garden to name a few. ⭐️⭐️.5/5
sheetalmorzaria's review against another edition
Could not get into book, felt like story was not going anywhere.
thereadingrunnner's review
3.0
Loved this book - I felt like I was right there in the book the whole time. Scenery descriptions were vivid and sucked me in. I was a bit disappointed with the ending... with as fabulous as the book was, I was left feeling cheated of a true ending the wrapped things up. Too many unanswered questions left hanging.
nypeapod's review
5.0
Why you should read this fantastic book:
1. If you want to expand your reading horizons to a new location (at least I have not read many books with an India setting).
2. Interested in only children and their relationship with their parents, mothers and daughters, fathers and daughters.
3. a wonderful writing style
4. a book set in current events
5. exploration of how sometimes people enter other lives thinking they are going to improve them and it just turns into a massive screw up for all involved.
1. If you want to expand your reading horizons to a new location (at least I have not read many books with an India setting).
2. Interested in only children and their relationship with their parents, mothers and daughters, fathers and daughters.
3. a wonderful writing style
4. a book set in current events
5. exploration of how sometimes people enter other lives thinking they are going to improve them and it just turns into a massive screw up for all involved.