Tag: Indian Fiction

The waiter brought them a parade of dishes: a mineral-smelling broth, a barely set delicate custard perfumed with chrysanthemum, bright roe that burst marine between their teeth, pickled autumn roots. How lovely. There is a lot about food in this story and if you enjoy Indian cooking you are in for a treat. There is a lot about a lot of things in Sonia & Sunny, so settle in for a long read. It is a very Indian story, and by that I mean in the fine tradition of introducing you, in great detail, to the long back stories of every member of every character’s extended family, with all the hints of corruption and family estrangements, overheard conversations and unanswered questions and the quirky personalities of all the uncles. The food is not only looked at, but smelled and tasted and each dish’s history is unravelled and the knowledge of who makes the best kebabs in the neighbourhood is shared, who taught them. Who stole the cook deserves a sub-plot all of its own. Perhaps it is impossible to write a short story about India. You can’t really dip in and get a feeling of the place. It’s full immersion or nothing.

Continue reading “The Loneliness of Sonia & Sunny – book review”