Jo's Reviews > Cracking India

A completely compelling novel about the partition of India seen through the eyes of a young Parsi girl with polio, Bapsi Sidhwa’s novel, presumably based on much of her own life experience, contains humor and violence, compassion and insight. I’m not always a fan of child narrators but here the voice is of an adult looking back and as such Lenny’s narrative is pitched perfectly in showing a child’s perspective of political and cultural events that split the country in two. There is a wonderful array of characters from those central to the story like Lenny’s beloved Godmother, Ayah her nanny and the Ice Candyman (after whom this novel was originally named), as well as numerous background characters who nevertheless are integral to the story as it unfolds. Interspersed with typical childhood dreams and woes is the gradual unfolding of the events leading up to and ending in partition and through a tight knit group of friends who encompass all religions and faiths, Bapsi Sidhwa shows how tribalism on religious grounds splits this group apart and leads to violence and tragedy as it did throughout the country as a whole. As someone who only knew the basics of the history of partition this book was an education and an entirely engaging one.