THE HOUSE THAT BJ BUILT by Anuja Chauhan: BOOK REVIEW Just like most of Anuja Chauhan fans, I had been waiting for The House That BJ Built for quite some time now. Well, at least, after how it was announced at the end of her most popular novel till now, Those Pricey Thakur Girls. And I can easily say it was worth the wait. In this sequel, The Pricey Thakur Girls have all grown up and are not living in the house that Bauji (BJ) built anymore. They have moved on in their lives as the narcissist editor, the sadhvi with the “money-is-mael” mantra, the “saviour of the world” journalist and an NRI with no job. The second Thakur girl, Binni, is dead, but she is survived by her daughter Bonita, or Bonu Singh, who is the main protagonist of the story. Bonu Singh lives with Laxmi Narayan Thakur (BJ) who is old and mostly senile now. BJ knows he has very few days in his hand, and wants to die without leaving the girls to fight over the property later. As The moment he returns to Hailey Road, he is besotted with Bonu, and she on the other hand is filled with childhood memories of an overwhelming crush on him. He has to divide the property peacefully according to his late grandfather's wish, has a film to complete (with the working title of “Tharki Thakur”), and try and not fall for Bonu, while he's at it. What is really unique and amazing about Anuja’s books, besides her trademark humour and her absolutely brilliant Hinglish prose that captivates her reader’s ears and heart all at once, is her skill at dealing with several plot elements. Her novels have several hitches arising from the central conflict, to get resolved only at the end, with lots of masaaledaar twists and turns that keep one engaged till the very last page. The House that BJ Built is no different, “thickly plotted with kissaa after kissaa over the five
It previously belonged to Kathy’s father and she is reluctant to relinquish possession of it. Then there is the Behranis, a Persian family who were forced to flee to America in fear of their lives. They want the house because it symbolizes their rise from poverty (they had to leave everything behind and were quite poor when they arrived in the United States) back to affluence which, to this family, will help to restore their family’s dignity, lost when thrust into poverty. The story centers on gaining possession of the house. Unknowingly, all of these characters are doomed to tragedy by their inability to understand each other, hurtling down an explosive collision course.
... and full of energy” (183). This is the first connection between Aminata and her first son Mamadu. It is a physical connection, between mother and son. Although Mamadu was sold from her, Aminata still feels connected to her son. “I looked again at the boy, and thought about how good it would have felt to have my own son alive and strong... I wondered what Mamadu would have looked like, if he had been allowed to stay with me” (327). Aminata thinks about him and his appearance and location. Aminata’s second child, May is born to her when Chekura is not with her. Nevertheless Aminata narrates, “I loved every inch of my daughter and worshipped every beat of her heart...” (345). This quote shows how Aminata loves and cares for May and has established a mother-daughter bond.
Boo’s story begins in Annawadi, a trash-strewn slum located by the Mumbai International Airport. This “sumpy plug of slum” had a population of three thousand people living within 335 huts (Boo, 2011, xi). The land owned by the Airport Authority of India and was surrounded by five hotels that Abdul’s younger brother described as “roses” versus their slum, “the shit in between” (Boo, 2011, xi). Abdul is a Muslim teenage who buys garbage of the rich and sells it to recyclers to support his family. Abdul’s family, Muslim, is a religious minority in the slum of Hindus; in fact a major element of tension within the book can be distilled to these Hindu-Muslim tensions. This difference in religion makes Abdul fearful of his neighbors for two reasons: (1) they would attempt to steal the family’s wealth, and (2) if Abdul were caught, he would not be able to support his family. The other major character was Fatima, a woman who burned herself by attempting suicide through self-immolation. She accused Abdul, his father, and sister of beating and threatening her; in India, it is against the law to convince someone else to kill him or herself. With a corruption-ridden legal sys...
house of seven gables? In my opinion, it takes patience and an avid reader to get this
In her essay Anzaldu firstly elaborates on her early stages of writing. Anzaldua suffered of insomnia when she was little. In order to pass time she would hide under the covers and read stories. Her little sister who slept in the same bed as her eventually catches her reading and forces her into reading out loud every night. Anzaldua tells her sister stories and writes them down afterwards. Soon she tells two stories a night. Anzaldua describes the process of writing as a relief, a way to cope with experiences. If she does not
With the death of his grandfather, Davies eventually gets the family reunited at his parents’, the perfect moment for the director, Justin Lerner (“Girlfriend”), to elevate the dramatic side of the story by spicing it up with frontal provocations and hostile attitudes (Clemens is particularly great at this point after she has annoyed me with a senseless weeping).
The living is awesome and easy in this massive, impressive, graciously and generously spacious residence. Inspired by nature itself and a Paradise on earth, this home is cool, calm, sophisticated and luxurious that showcases and reflects that magical epitome of inspiration and architecture. The house speaks the perspective, personality and taste of those accustomed to the very best in awesome design, finishes and lifestyle.
Like the real-life apartment, the impossibly wealthy setting of her daydreams about owning a mansion strengthens her unhappiness and her avoidance of reality. All the rooms of her fantasies are large and expensive, draped in silk and filled with nothing but the best furniture and bric-a-brac. M...
The rooms where the action of a story takes place are also very important. Some the rooms used in the book are bedrooms, the dining room, the parlor, and the enclosed garden patio. The first room we see inside of this old house is the garden patio. This room is interesting because the smell from the patio is always associated with the title character. Felipe looks for her in this garden; he smells the patio plants in her hair. Symbolically, the garden can be associated with the mind, with the unconscious, or it may give you clues to your own inner state. The plants, flowers, and fruit found in the garden may also enhance t...
In regards to the unpainted house: At the end of the book, only a corner of the house needs painting to be complete. It would have been very easy for our author to have completely finished in painting the house. However, that’s not what the premise nor the promise of the book contains. There is a big difference in completing a challenge, and being successful. Although life’s problems and challenges are never ending, the success in dealing with a challenge has more to do with the way it is done than in its completion. ‘The joy is certainly in the journey’ when reading the novel, ‘A Painted House’.
“… gave details of the house: it was white with black doors fitted with iron bars; four rooms were stuccoed, but other parts were less finished; the front floor was stone slabs. She loc...
... next day, Tara upon noticing Saifi’s absence, reports to the police. The police question him and he confesses that he killed Saifi. Thus, Saifi’s portrayal in Bol sheds light on hijra as a gender role and identity and addressing the cultural perception of hijras by the Pakistani society.
On this metaphorical quest of the protagonist Jasmine, start she is first born with the name Jyoti in India where begins to stand up against the traditional path that has been prepared for her by the male-controlled system. Like the other women of her homeland, she under the constant control of her brothers and father. In the Indian tradition, a female is to be married young that includes a dowry. After marriage, it would see...
Ta tatau (tattoo) by Emma Kruse Va’ai, follows on a short narrative told by an eight-year-old Samoan girl. The young girl witnesses her father (Manu) have a complicated tattoo in the name of tradition. As illustrated in the short story, the traditional tattoo is of great significance to the Samoa people and is considered as a conventional practice. Moreover, it is marked as an essential part of their culture, and a ritual that also binds families together. The short narrative revolves around the young girl 's father getting tattooed revealing the Samoan culture as the story attains momentum. Ideally, the Samoan girl describes the tattoo in her father’s body as ink patterns that make a visible process that appears natural as the symbol completes.
A photograph of Sidi appeared in the central page and cover of the magazine in which “HER PRIDE WENT BEYOND WITHOUT HAVING ANY LIMITS”. Baroka the antagonist...