Spanning over three generations
of Banwari Lals, Delhi based cloth traders; ‘Home’ is a family saga of typical
middle-class merchant family. Set in the heart of Karol Bagh; the story
revolves around how the different generations adapt to changing times. It also
depicts how the patriarch one time strong and defiant bows down to his sons
towards the end. The book illustrates how the women of the family who behind
closed doors fill their husbands’ ears with comparative tales and one-upmanship
of the other family.
Typical of family sagas and
brings in dynamics of joint family, the worries of marrying daughters off, the privileges
of having a son bringing in dowry and sometimes infertility. The narrative is
rather slow and drags a little. Manju Kapur is a skilled written who artfully
brings colour to each of the characters whether is it the dreary in-laws or the
entrepreneurial aunt or the slimy parasitic nephew. Except for the fact that
the book stretches a little; Home makes for a good read providing valuable
insights into a distinctive middle-class trader family.
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