This is a tale of how evil begets evil; the tale of how a set of “two-egg twins” become the victims and then the pawns and ultimately, again, the victims of a series of evil-doing and of hatred. The story is set in India, where a caste system still remains because of entrenched history that is difficult to relinquish. It is this perpetuated hatred that leads to the damning of love the twins have for a man their mother is in love with as well (a man who is not their father but who acts as a father might to them). In a circular way, the accidental death of a visiting cousin of the twins becomes twisted into a death sentence for an innocent man who is guilty of only loving.
The story is told in a very roundabout way, in a fragmented, twisting of the events. It is also told with imagery in almost every sentence, which is sometimes beautiful and sometimes more than borders on irritating. It does a great deal to build the suspense, but it also becomes frustrating to the point where the reader feels like yelling at the author, “Get to the story, already!” There is a lot of repetition, which again, serves both to heighten the suspense and frustrate the reader.
So, do I like this book? Do I like the writing in this book? I felt both sides of that “reader’s” opinion: I loved some of the imagery and I hated how drawn-out the book felt. But I am glad that I’ve read it. It’s a terrible, tragic story and in the end, very powerfully told. I just recommend a bit of patience through its pages.
kindread spirits 