Kiran Desai: A bried review on her works

    Kiran Desai is an Indian author who was born in New Delhi in 1971. She is the daughter of the author Anita Desai and the businessman Ashvin Desai. Kiran Desai has lived in India, England, and the United States, and her experiences of living in different cultures have influenced her writing.

Desai has written three novels to date:

1. "Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard" (1998): This is a humorous novel that follows the story of Sampath Chawla, a young man who decides to retreat from his job in a bank to live in a guava orchard. The novel explores themes of freedom, escape, and the search for meaning.

2. "The Inheritance of Loss" (2006): This novel won the Man Booker Prize in 2006. It tells the story of a retired judge living in the foothills of the Himalayas and his granddaughter Sai, who has come to stay with him. The novel explores themes of identity, cultural conflict, and the impact of globalization on traditional ways of life.

3. "The Longest Night" (2013): This is a novella that tells the story of a young woman who returns to her childhood home in India to care for her dying father. The novella explores themes of grief, loss, and the complexities of family relationships.

    Desai's writing is known for its lyrical prose, its exploration of cultural identity and displacement, and its nuanced and complex characters. Her work has been praised for its ability to capture the complexity of modern India and its people.

The Inheritance of Loss

    "The Inheritance of Loss" is a novel by Kiran Desai, first published in 2006. It won the Man Booker Prize in the same year. The novel is set in the Himalayan town of Kalimpong and explores the themes of identity, cultural conflict, and the impact of globalization on traditional ways of life.

    The novel follows the story of a retired judge, Jemubhai Patel, who lives a quiet life in his crumbling mansion in Kalimpong. He is a bitter and lonely man, haunted by memories of his past and estranged from his son, Biju, who is living as an undocumented immigrant in New York City.

    The story also follows the life of Sai, the granddaughter of the judge who comes to live with him while she waits to go to college in the United States. Sai is a bright and curious young woman who falls in love with her tutor, Gyan, who is involved in a political movement against the Indian government.

    As the novel unfolds, the characters are forced to confront the tensions and conflicts that arise from their different cultural backgrounds and their struggles with identity and belonging. The judge, who was educated in England, is estranged from his Indian heritage, while Gyan is torn between his loyalty to his political cause and his love for Sai.

    The novel also explores the impact of globalization on the people of Kalimpong and the ways in which it has disrupted traditional ways of life. Biju's experiences in New York highlight the exploitation and precariousness of the lives of undocumented immigrants.

   Desai's writing in "The Inheritance of Loss" is known for its lyrical prose, its vivid descriptions of the Himalayan landscape, and its exploration of complex and multifaceted characters. The novel has been praised for its ability to capture the complexities of modern India and its people, as well as for its commentary on issues of globalization, identity, and cultural conflict.