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Bapsi Sidhwa

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Cracking India: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Bapsi Sidhwa (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 214 ratings

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A New York Times Notable Book: A girl’s happy home life is suddenly disrupted by the 1947 Partition of India in this “multifaceted jewel of a novel” (Houston Chronicle).

Young Lenny Sethi is kept out of school because she suffers from polio. She spends her days with Ayah, her beautiful nanny, visiting with the many admirers that Ayah draws. It is in the company of these working-class characters that Lenny learns about religious differences, religious intolerance, and the blossoming genocidal strife on the eve of Partition.

As she matures, Lenny begins to identify the differences between the Hindus, Moslems, and Sikhs engaging in political arguments all around her. Lenny enjoys a happy, privileged life in Lahore, but the kidnapping of her beloved Ayah signals a dramatic change. Soon Lenny’s world erupts in religious, ethnic, and racial violence. In this tale from “Pakistan’s finest English-language novelist” (TheNew York Times Book Review), the profound upheaval that was the 1947 Partition of India is dramatically revealed through the story of one young girl, whose account of her experience proves by turns insightful, funny, and heartbreaking.

“Lenny’s honesty is compelling . . . She is alternately thrilled and frightened by the events she dutifully records, and so, in the end, is the reader.” —Publishers Weekly

“Much has been written about the holocaust that followed the Partition of India in 1947, but seldom has that story been told as touchingly, as convincingly, or as horrifyingly as it has been by novelist Bapsi Sidhwa.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Lenny dramatizes the textures of multicultural Indian life, with its summer trips to the Himalayan foothills, dinner parties, visits from the ice-candy man, and, increasingly, hints of Hindu-Muslim trouble . . . both realistic and magically evocative.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A mysterious, wonderful novel.” —The Washington Post

Previously published under the title Ice-Candy Man

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The narrator of Sidwha's ( The Bride ) timely novel about the violent 1947 partition of India is the extremely observant Lenny Sethi, whose family belongs to the Parsee community in Lahore. As a child, a polio victim and a member of a minority, she is the perfect witness (though somewhat precocious) to the historic upheaval. Sidwha tempers Lenny's hyper-awareness, however, by capturing the whole range of her fears and joys as her innocence becomes another casualty of the violence among Moslems, Sikhs and Hindus. At one point Lenny declares: "Lying doesn't become me. I can't get away with the littlest thing." Persuasive, this statement reinforces earlier comments she lets slip about herself which display this artless candor: "the manipulative power of my limp"; "I place a hypocritical arm protectively round her shoulders." Lenny's honesty is compelling, and the reader, like many in the story, cannot help but trust her. She is alternately thrilled and frightened by the events she dutifully records, and so, in the end, is the reader.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From Library Journal

Presented in the first person by a sparsely educated Parsee girl in Lahore named Lenny, who grows from four to eight as she narrates, this novel is incongruously overloaded with erudite diction. Thus, unlike Huck Finn's tale, this child's story becomes unbelievable. Despite the title, it focuses on the everyday lives of Lenny, her family, and their associates, often interesting but frequently trivial. Throughout the book, Lenny includes verbatim transcriptions of extended conversations/situations about racial relations, sex, politics, religion, and selected aspects of the 1947 Partition. Sadly, the promise of the novel (semi-autobiographical?) is inadequately fulfilled and seems to falter from its conception. (Needed: a glossary of Indian words.)-- Glenn O. Carey, Eastern Kentucky Univ., Richmond
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From Kirkus Reviews

Pakistani Sidhwa's third novel (The Bride, 1983; The Crown Eaters, 1982)--written from the point of view of a young girl who's surrounded by the personal and political violence that accompanied the partitioning of India in 1947--manages to do justice to the complexity of racial, ethnic, and religious violence in the era and to evoke the passage from an affluent childhood to the ambiguities of experience. ``India is going to be broken....And what happens if they break it where our house is?'' asks narrator Lenny, the daughter (who turns eight in 1947) of an affluent Parsi family in Lahore. And in fact her household does break apart when her young nanny, or Ayah, is kidnapped. Before that event takes center stage, the novel glorifies in the ``beautifully endowed'' world, which, as evoked by Sidhwa's luminous present-tense prose, is laminated with the magic of childish wonder: moving between her own house and that of her dynamic Godmother (``It is her nature to know things''), who lives ``with her docile old husband and slavesister,'' Lenny dramatizes the textures of multicultural Indian life, with its summer trips to the Himalayan foothills, dinner parties, visits from the ice-candy man, and, increasingly, hints of ``Hindu-Muslim trouble.'' While Lenny ``learns to tell tales'' by ``offering lengthier and lengthier chatter'' to fill dinner-time silences, she also becomes ``aware of religious differences.'' Sikhs start keeping to themselves, whereas before ``everybody is themselves.'' Violence escalates, India is divided, fires appear ``all over Lahore,'' and Ayah is kidnapped. She's finally found in the red-light district, then rescued through Godmother's influence, but it's clear that- -along with India and Lenny--she will never be the same. Richly layered, both realistic and magically evocative as well as topical: a novel that brings to triumphant life an India that ``has less to do with fate than with the will of men.'' -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

"One man's religion is another man's poison." The child narrator of Cracking India learns this lesson as she experiences the Partition of India in 1947. Comic, violent, turbulent, and full of life, this novel functions vividly on both domestic and historical levels, illuminating the uprooting of seven million Muslims and five million Hindus and Sikhs in "the largest and most terrible exchange of population known to history." In particular, Cracking India explores the effect of Partition on the subcontinent's greatest underclass: women. Events are refracted through the eyes of five year-old Lenny, the indulged daughter of a Parsee family whose tumultuous extended household includes an array of neighbors, servants, and relatives, and Lenny's beloved Ayah. For Lenny, the domestic manifestation of Partition is sudden and menacing: "one day everybody is themselves -- and the next day they are Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian. People shrink, dwindling into symbols." Witnessing the inexorable cracking apart of her world, with its affection, humor, and balance superseded by bigotry and violence, Lenny comes to a painful understanding of "human needs, frailties, cruelties and joys." In focusing on the domestic drama engendered by a national cataclysm, and by rendering it in the uninformed but clear-sighted voice of a young girl, Bapsi Sidhwa fully evokes the personal costs of an historical event. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Prudence Hockley --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0042JSRVY
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Milkweed Editions (September 1, 2010)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 1, 2010
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1460 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 366 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #518,259 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #155 in Middle Eastern Literature (Books)
- #204 in Historical Asian Fiction
- #1,583 in Historical British Fiction

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4.2 214 ratings

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Dominique

Captivating!

Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2018

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I saw the movie and was in awe of the characters. This book and books like it are why I love reading. The language, characters and plot transported me back in time to a place where love, hate, loss and acceptance written so convincingly that I cheered, laughed and cried while reading.

One person found this helpful

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Luan Gaines

Loss of innocence and national chaos

Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2002

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Wrenched from the security of the familiar, a young girl gleans intimate knowledge of the nature of betrayal. As a cosseted child, Lenny's short life is defined by the affection of family, friends and her beloved Ayah. As most children who have the blessing of regularity in their lives and know the indulgence of boredom, Lenny is on an intimate terms with mundane household affairs and neighborhood gossip, her extended family ever available for entertainment and amusing peccadilloes. The family's simple life changes forever with the Partition of India in 1947 and the creation of Pakistan for Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs remaining in the state of India. As citizens of the newly formed Pakistan, this family's everyday reality begins to shift with the changing times, threatening to destroy a child's security and trust forever.
In Lahore, a city that has welcomed differences and encouraged variety, Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus have mixed without incident. After the Partition, the dangers of alliance permanently stamp the mark of change and entire families begin to disappear overnight. In agonizing stages, Sidwha relates this tragic account through Lenny's eyes. And it is that vision, with glimpses of violence flashing around the periphery, that ultimately alerts Lenny to the shape of the future. The juxtaposition of family life and national chaos outlines an insider's interpretation of daily routine and a whole country spinning out of control. Peopled with eccentric characters and quirky personalities, one of the most romantic and beloved is Lenny's beautiful and desirable Ayah. Ultimately, the abrupt disappearance of that Ayah, who has been kidnapped by nefarious characters, is central to the theme of this carefully wrought tale. All sense of harmony and continuity is abruptly shattered by the miasma of violence that seeps under closed doors at night like a poisonous invisible fog. This book is a stunning reminder of the nature of impermanence, "collateral damage" in the form of a loving Ayah, whose lovely spirit is virtually destroyed along with Lenny's innocence.

27 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Brilliant recreation of the violence and compassion during the partition of India.

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2023

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Seen through the eyes of a child, the contradictions and fear bring the time to life. There is a bitter-sweet ending.

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Joyce Merletti

The Partitiion of India

Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2013

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The story is told through the eyes of Lenny, a young Indian girl whose beautiful Hindu nanny has included her in her friendship with a number of young men of various religions and walks of life. Despite the differences, they are united by their love for her. As their beloved nation drifts toward a complete rupture, violence begins in the streets; the child sees some of the young men changing religions to protect their families, or leaving the city for a safer place. She begins to understand the religious divisions that are ripping the fabric of India. She witnesses scenes of slaughter; her nanny is betrayed and kidnapped, bringing her to a shameful life.
No childhood can continue amid this terror, and the reader feels such sympathy for little, crippled Lenny and her young friends. But heart-wrenching as the story is, it is only one story of that time, and Sidhwa tells it very well. She sheds light on this dark period, but in doing so, makes the reader want to know more about that time, and what led to it.

One person found this helpful

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B & G

Devastating period in India

Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2018

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Read for book club. Interesting history of a devastating time in India. Had some gaps in it as told from the perspective of a young child.

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Jeffrey Boyd

This is an engaging glimpse into the personal tragedy & human triumph at the time of the division of Pakistan & India. It is poignant and speaks to the heart.

Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2021

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I don’t know why this review format has me write a review, then refuses to post it. I liked the book. I dislike this awkward “Review” format.

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Elizabeth B.

Very glad I came across this book

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2015

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Wonderful book. I loved the early parts, the beguiling account of childhood in pre-partition Lahore. When the political backdrop heated up, I was almost cringing as I turned the pages. I couldn't stop reading. It's an unflinching account, but not unbearable. Just sobering, and surprisingly balanced, considering how tragic the whole episode was in the history of what is now two countries.

3 people found this helpful

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sharon K. Lee

Excellent book. I love Sidhwai's writing style and the ...

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2014

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Excellent book. I love Sidhwai's writing style and the story was very riveting. It's an unforgettable book for me and an important book for westerners to read because many do not know the history of Asia. History is best taught through story telling and Bapsi Sidhwa does it very well. I will read her other books now that I have had a taste of her writing style.

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Fenella Hawkins

Bon état général

Reviewed in France on October 28, 2018

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Livre arrivé en bonne condition

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Linda Spence

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on November 30, 2014

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enjoyed reading this book. It is enlightening to read more about normal lives during the partition

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Brilliantly Written - A heart wrenching story told through the ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 23, 2016

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Brilliantly Written - A heart wrenching story told through the eyes of a child - Bapsi was a great writer who manages to make you chuckle even when you are reading about the partition.

Seshagiri S

Five Stars

Reviewed in India on October 4, 2015

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Good book, though delivery too some time

Alessandra

Qualità e comodità

Reviewed in Italy on October 23, 2013

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Il titolo della mia recensione si concentra sulla qualità e la comodità del servizio. Il prezzo del libro di per sè è molto conveniente anche se, includendo la spedizione, va in pari con a quelli che si trovano nelle librerie. Ciononostante non dimentico la comodità di trovarmeli a casa senza dovermi preoccupare di nulla. La velocità della consegna (3-4 giorni senza ritardi) e le condizioni dell'articolo mi hanno lasciato molto soddisfatta: il libro era esattamente come specificato nella descrizione del sito internet.

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