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A review by stefhyena
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
Ok first a warning. The title and cover make it seem like it's going to be a cosy feel-good read and it really isn't. Which mainly I liked (I hate bland) but there are some detailed and realistic depictions of violence in it and it's not a "leave your brain at the door" book either. Not escapism. There are oases of calm with turmeric in the paint or whatever that can lull you into thinking you are a tourist here but then the big themes come back.
The protagonist I would say is Maya, an elderly Tamilese widow who owns a nursing home that she built and is now a resident in. She is supported by many family and friends- carers, doctors, etc who help flesh out the vibrancy of her life. The other centre of the book, perhaps the (albeit reluctant) antagonist is Gareth, the white man who seeks to claw back his entitlements in a world where women and migrants no longer consider themselves below him in the pecking order (this is over-simplified but I think true. He is "not racist" he goes and eats curry cooked by his wife's best friend but his over-entitlement leads him to consistently say and do stupid things that legitimate the actual racists waiting in the shadows.
The actual racists in this book are ruthless, violent and without any moral compass whatsoever. They are two-dimensional and motivated purely by hate. I would like to say that they are an exaggeration but I guess the point of them isn't whether or not that sort of person is actually common (it would be naive to say they don't exist at all) but what words, actions and silences from politicians and others give them empowerment to escalate? In this book the white silences that allow other people to be racist are pretty clear. The book also has enough heart to give us a wealth of imaginary and real white people who are anti-racist ...so while it definitely calles out whiteness and coloniality (Cook gets specifically targetted as he should) there is also some ability to see nuance and not generate polarisations. Although as the book makes clear it's a bit unfair that it is always the Brown people who have to do the diplomatic work of showing they are not racist. I feel that there are a couple of scenes with Gareth where Anji is being too kind, too understanding, too "emotionally intelligent" and I feel relieved when we finally see her anger. Nonetheless when Ruben punches him I find that excessive and as unwise as something Gareth would do. I would have liked something terrible to happen to Davidson in the book, I know that would be unrealistic but so are some of the other scenes. I felt the last big catastrophe was too much. I didn't want to go through that I was unhappy with it...but I guess as a book about racism (mostly) it has to show that there's a relentlessless to the awfulness of it.
It's a positive book. It has easter-eggs, famous people who have given the author permission to pop them in in Twitter cameos and such. It has interesting reflections on fiction and non-fiction writing. Stories and histories and language itself. I also do wonder about turmeric in paint. Should that be a thing?
The protagonist I would say is Maya, an elderly Tamilese widow who owns a nursing home that she built and is now a resident in. She is supported by many family and friends- carers, doctors, etc who help flesh out the vibrancy of her life. The other centre of the book, perhaps the (albeit reluctant) antagonist is Gareth, the white man who seeks to claw back his entitlements in a world where women and migrants no longer consider themselves below him in the pecking order (this is over-simplified but I think true. He is "not racist" he goes and eats curry cooked by his wife's best friend but his over-entitlement leads him to consistently say and do stupid things that legitimate the actual racists waiting in the shadows.
The actual racists in this book are ruthless, violent and without any moral compass whatsoever. They are two-dimensional and motivated purely by hate. I would like to say that they are an exaggeration but I guess the point of them isn't whether or not that sort of person is actually common (it would be naive to say they don't exist at all) but what words, actions and silences from politicians and others give them empowerment to escalate? In this book the white silences that allow other people to be racist are pretty clear. The book also has enough heart to give us a wealth of imaginary and real white people who are anti-racist ...so while it definitely calles out whiteness and coloniality (Cook gets specifically targetted as he should) there is also some ability to see nuance and not generate polarisations. Although as the book makes clear it's a bit unfair that it is always the Brown people who have to do the diplomatic work of showing they are not racist. I feel that there are a couple of scenes with Gareth where Anji is being too kind, too understanding, too "emotionally intelligent" and I feel relieved when we finally see her anger. Nonetheless when Ruben punches him I find that excessive and as unwise as something Gareth would do. I would have liked something terrible to happen to Davidson in the book, I know that would be unrealistic but so are some of the other scenes. I felt the last big catastrophe was too much. I didn't want to go through that I was unhappy with it...but I guess as a book about racism (mostly) it has to show that there's a relentlessless to the awfulness of it.
It's a positive book. It has easter-eggs, famous people who have given the author permission to pop them in in Twitter cameos and such. It has interesting reflections on fiction and non-fiction writing. Stories and histories and language itself. I also do wonder about turmeric in paint. Should that be a thing?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Violence