The Vine of Desire
I recently finished the book 'The Vine of Desire' by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Easy read. It's about relationships, complex feelings bordering on what society may brand as wrong or immoral. Although not incredibly deep, it tries to read the pshyche of the characters without being judgemental. The author's ability to accept the grey shades of her characters lends the narrative an empathetic bent.
It's a story of two women - cousins Anju and Sudha and a personal tragedy that brings them together, which acts as a catalyst to a string of events that will change their lives forever.
Anju recently had a miscarriage and is devastated. The thin and frayed thread that holds her marriage together is strained and is on it's way to snapping. At this point her cousin Sudha who has has gone through a personal tragedy of her own walks into Anju and her husband Sunil's life and changes their life forever.
Sudha is this beautiful woman who has had a bad deal from life, but she yeilds amazing power over men (no second guesses for the reason!). All her life she has been desired by men. Ashok has waited for her for a decade. Lalit with all his wit and polish and intelligence can't help but feel magnetically drawn to her. But it's Sunil who changes her life forever - her sister's husband Sunil.
Sunil is trying to make his life in an alien land, far away from his native country and is trying to realise his version of the American dream. He is a good husband and loves his wife Anju or is at least trying to. But he has this secret buried deep inside him which he cannot share with anyone, least of all Anju - that he loves her cousin Sudha - deeply, passionately and has never been able to get over her ever since he saw her one afternoon in Calcutta. By then it was too late because he was already engaged to Anju and Sudha was to be married to someone else.
Anju oblivious of these feelings on her husband's part (or was she??), invites Sudha over to America for her to start-over again and also because she thought they could heal each other from their recent tragedies.
One thing leads to another and the inevitable happens. Sunil leaves Anju because he doesnt love her anymore...not when the object of his desire is living in the same house, sharing his life. The book doesnt try to judge Sunil. He is as human as anyone else.
And it set me thinking what should be the pursuit of one's life? to do what is right? or to be happy. What should one do when one's quest for happiness clashes with what is right/immoral according to the society and sometimes ones own conscience? How strong this man's desire and love for this woman must be for him to leave the security of his family, the cushion that the values he has been brought up with provide him?
Sudha seeks total freedom and realises that she needs to be on her own to be truly independent. Anju on her part comes out a stronger person from the pain when her husband leaves her - she is not afraid to turn a new leaf in an alien country, on her own. As for Sunil he is trying to pick up the peices of his life, writes to Anju once-in-a-while and hopes for forgiveness.
All in all a nice and easy read.
Checkout the review:
http://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/0385497296.asp
