The Inheritance of Loss

Kiran Desai's first novel, Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard, was published to unanimous acclaim in over twenty-two countries. Now Desai takes us to the northeastern Himalayas where a rising insurgency challenges the old way of life. In a crumbling, isolated house at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga lives an embittered old judge who wants to retire in peace when his orphaned granddaughter Sai arrives on his doorstep. The judge's chatty cook watches over her, but his thoughts are mostly with his son, Biju, hopscotching from one New York restaurant job to another, trying to stay a step ahead of the INS, forced to consider his country's place in the world. When a Nepalese insurgency in the mountains threatens Sai's new-sprung romance with her handsome Nepali tutor and causes their lives to descend into chaos, they, too, are forced to confront their colliding interests. The nation fights itself. The cook witnesses the hierarchy being overturned and discarded. The judge must revisit his past, his own role in this grasping world of conflicting desires-every moment holding out the possibility for hope or betrayal. A novel of depth and emotion, Desai's second, long-awaited novel fulfills the grand promise established by her first.

Great, but sad

I wished I knew more about Nepal and the historical, geographical and political background of this novel. Yet even without this knowledge I was able to appreciate the story which is pretty universal, the story of poverty, humiliation and the resulting rage. I wished there would have been more rays of hope for the characters but given what’s going on in the world it is right not to sugarcoat every story. I enjoyed the excellence of the writing full of evocative images. The narration was also excellent, very animated when needed.

Excellent overall

The story and writing are beautiful. That said, I DNF due to a scene that was a bit too stomach turning involving phlegm and an amphibian. It added nothing to the story. There were other situations involving bodily fluids that while, not pleasant, added to the characters' living conditions.

The narration was fabulous!

The writing

Lyrical and visual. Some of the paragraphs were such a delight. I totally enjoyed the accents and the performance as well. A well done audiobook

Beautifully written story about family, friends

This book is very rich with different characters, The uprising in Nepal begins. The family dynamics are messy and chaotic. I loved it so much I had to read it again.

Narration was excellent!

The story was so good. Had my heart breaking and hoping in many different directions. And I learned about some present day history and experiences