House of Blue Mangoes

I got hold of this book a few days back on recommendation from one of my ex-colleagues and just could not put it down till I finished reading it. No wonder it has won critical acclaim and the reviews which praised the book saying it is the boldest and the strongest probably after ‘Midnight’s Children’ just add to its glory.

Author: David Davidar
Price: Rs. 425/-
Purchased: Landmark

The book, which marks the debut of the author David Davidar, traces the journey of a family through 3 generations.  It is set in the times of British India in a small town Chevathar in Tamil Nadu, a lovely place which is glorified by the special ‘blue mango’ yielding trees. The storyline throws light on the struggle for independence and @ the same time, the internal struggles based on caste, creed, religion and the like. The problems in Indian society .. be it of male dominance, religious conversions have been highlighted without hurting the sentiments of any person/ group.

The story is mainly based on the Dorai household, the head of which is the strong and capable personality Solomon Dorai who tries to maintain the peace and calm of his town and is ready to do so, even at the cost of his own life. He finds the greatest company in his son Aaron who is equally or even more fearless and contributes his bit to the struggle for Indian Independence.  The other son Daniel is completely different and works on his interests in the field of science and medicine. The father-son conflicts, sibling rivalries and all that happens in a regular household is what makes the story .. which makes it so close to ur heart and close to life as it is.

As it outlines the differences in the way of living  between the 3 generations and how they move out to different places to carve a niche for themselves,  their lives are still interwoven by their love for the place they were born and brought up in and this has been brought out beautifully by the author.

The highlight of the book is that u feel one with the characters and can relate to what they are going through so well. The way the emotions have been captured is brilliant, illustrations of the place the story is set in are awesome and the play of words present the readers with a visual treat. I almost felt like planning my next vacation to that fictional place 😛

I just loved the cover of the book. It so symbolizes freedom and imparts such a happy feel to it 🙂 All in all, a book which left me totally engrossed and I loved reading it 🙂