The first chapter of this novel was submitted to me by the author while I was on vacation.
BLURB: In a land where skin colour can determine one's
destiny, fraternal twins PULLAMMA and LATA are about to embark on a journey that
will tear their lives apart.
Dark skinned Pullamma dreams of being a wife. With three girls in her family, the sixteen-year-old is aware there isn't enough dowry to secure suitable husbands for them all. But a girl can hope. She's well versed in cooking, pickle making, cow washing -- you name it. She's also obliged her old-fashioned grandmother by not doing well in school.
Fair skinned and pretty, her twin sister Lata would rather study medicine than get married. Unable to grasp the depth of Lata's desire, the twins' Grandmother formalizes a wedding alliance for the girl. Distraught, Lata rebels, with devastating consequences.
As Pullamma helps ready the house for her older sister Malli's bride viewing, she prays for a positive outcome to the event. What happens next is so inconceivable that it will shape Pullamma's future in ways she couldn't have foreseen.
A mainstream, multi-ethnic, world literature book from India, TELL A THOUSAND LIES is a sometimes wry, sometimes sad, but ultimately realistic look at how superstition and the colour of a girl's skin rules India's hinterlands.
If you like Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner) or Vikram Seth (A Suitable Boy), you might like this book.
Dark skinned Pullamma dreams of being a wife. With three girls in her family, the sixteen-year-old is aware there isn't enough dowry to secure suitable husbands for them all. But a girl can hope. She's well versed in cooking, pickle making, cow washing -- you name it. She's also obliged her old-fashioned grandmother by not doing well in school.
Fair skinned and pretty, her twin sister Lata would rather study medicine than get married. Unable to grasp the depth of Lata's desire, the twins' Grandmother formalizes a wedding alliance for the girl. Distraught, Lata rebels, with devastating consequences.
As Pullamma helps ready the house for her older sister Malli's bride viewing, she prays for a positive outcome to the event. What happens next is so inconceivable that it will shape Pullamma's future in ways she couldn't have foreseen.
A mainstream, multi-ethnic, world literature book from India, TELL A THOUSAND LIES is a sometimes wry, sometimes sad, but ultimately realistic look at how superstition and the colour of a girl's skin rules India's hinterlands.
If you like Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner) or Vikram Seth (A Suitable Boy), you might like this book.
COVER: I like the details on this one. The multiple hands of various colors reaching for the girl speak to the plot. The food all around tells of the setting, while the money in the plate seems to reflect the family's desperate circumstances or perhaps their income from selling items.
FIRST CHAPTER: Pullamma and her grandmother--along with a friend--are awaiting the arrival of the groom's family for her sister, Malli's bride viewing. They have decided to hide Pullamma's fraternal twin, Lata, because she is so pretty they are afraid the groom's family might prefer her. Thankfully, as her grandmother's friend, Lakshmi reminds her, Pullamma is not pretty at all considering how tall and dark-skinned she is.
KEEP READING: I'm definitely intrigued. This is a culture I don't know a great deal about, so that adds to my interest. Atreya has an eloquent style and her writing shares the right details to engage the reader and make her feel she is right in the village with Pullamma. This chapter ends strong with a bit of mystery to encourage the reader to continue.
The author submitted the first chapter of this novel for my consideration. This First Chapter Review contains my honest opinions, for which I received no monetary compensation.
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1 comment:
It does sound interesting
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