A powerful book that takes you into uncharted territory. A story of bravery and danger, love and loathing, that shows how our actions can influence the lives of others.
An accomplished work especially for a first novel. The author evokes a vivid picture of life in India, whether in the city of Bangalore or a mountain village.
I found Shalini, our heroine, rather frustrating at times in her choice of action, or inaction in some cases. But all the way through she is shown as a believable, if flawed character, I sort of liked her, but at times didn't.
It's a memorable and often moving tale of a young woman searching for something more in her life, which isn't as pretentious as it sounds. After the death of her mother with whom she had a close but complicated relationship, she decides to go travelling to find an old family friend. The paths she chooses are full of love and danger, but mainly adventure and soul searching, taking her many miles from her home and into the lives of others.
This book had me totally engrossed and had me reading late into the night, as it swept me along on Shalini's journey.
A book about grief and trying to find your way, and the impact one person can have on many.
Madhuri Vijay takes us to India and Kashmir. Tension in the work is created between comparing the lives of rich urban Indians and poor mountain Kashmiri folk. The contrast could not be starker: from opportunities; to money; to education, to the choice of how to live their lives. It takes us into a political conflict between Muslims and Indians who are mostly Hindu in this book. It helps us see that not all militants are rabid, screaming stereotypes but human beings and what unexpectedly could drive them to act as they do.
The narrator Shalini is 30 years old and has not found her way in life. She goes on a mission to find answers about her childhood hoping it will give her answers. She is a morally ambiguous person, not thinking about or caring enough to see how her actions will impact the lives and safety of the people she comes in contact with.
I enjoyed the fact that ms. Vijay illustrates her as a real person with strong aspects and weaknesses. Having said that, I really enjoyed this book
Shalini’s journey from Bangalore to Kashmir, to track down an old friend of her mother’s, has repercussions for both herself and her Kashmiri friends that will stay with you for a long time. A stunning first novel.
In the aftermath of her mother’s death, Shalini loses her way in life and she eventually embarks on a journey to Kashmir, to track down an old friend of her mother’s from years ago. Her journey takes her almost the length of India, but the cultural distance between her home in the large southern city of Bangalore and the Kashmiri mountain village she learns to call home is far greater.
This is a stunning and original debut, it’s hard to believe it is a first novel. The language is creative and strongly evocative, not only bringing the reader deep into the life and culture of Bangalore and Kashmir, but creating a sense of helplessness and hopelessness at the final outcome of Shalini’s journey.
It is a novel to be savoured and enjoyed, one to immerse yourself in. I became so engrossed in the final 100 pages I missed my stop on the bus. It was intense and unexpected, at no point did I really know where this novel was taking me, and the ending was breathtaking. I turned right back to the beginning to read the opening pages again. This is a novel will stay with me for a long time, it was both shocking and moving in equal parts.
A beautifully written, thought-provoking book following Shalini, a young woman dealing with the death of her mother, on her journey from Bangalore to Kashmir and the far-reaching impact her actions have on other people.
Shalini, the narrator of the story, who lives in Bangalore, is restless and wracked with guilt over her mother’s death and sets out on a journey to Kashmir to find a salesman, seemingly her mother’s only friend, who used to visit their house when she was a child.
The Far Field is beautifully written and its gentle prose belies the hard-hitting story about relationships, bravery, corruption, conflict and guilt that it covers. Shalini is a flawed individual, still trying to find herself whilst grieving for her mother, and quite unconscious of the impact her actions have on others. She doesn’t seem to be able to commit to any kind of relationship despite others reaching out to her which meant there were a number of times when I became frustrated with her actions. She eventually realises the extent of conflict and corruption that people in Kashmir have to deal with on a daily basis and does make one effort to redress this but only makes life worse for the people she was trying to help. In the end, no-one gains full redemption but life goes on.
This is a thought-provoking and beautifully written book that gives the reader a flavour of both the bustle of Bangalore and the conflict of Kashmir interwoven with believable characters.
A stunningly beautiful, emotional, and captivating novel that hooked me in from the very start. Never have I felt so submerged, and involved in a book.
This beautifully, and deeply moving book hooked me in right from the very start. I very quickly became attached to Shalini the main character, and went on a rollercoaster of emotions as she did. So descriptive was the setting, and of her life that I felt as if I could see it all through her very eyes.
As I got deeper into the book and found out about her life, and of those around her I was even more eager to find out what was in store for them all.
I usually find it hard to keep up with a wealth of characters, and a time-hopping storyline, but this was so well written that never once did I feel lost in it all.
For a debut novelist to get everything so spot on, and capture my heart as Madhuri Vijay has done is no mean feat, and I can't wait to read her next book.
A seriously absorbing read which feels both familiar and foreign. I highly recommend that you lose yourself in it!
This is a journey of self-discovery for the central character, Shalini, an educated and independent young woman from Bangalore. It becomes a literal journey, to Kashmir, as she searches for connections to her recently deceased mother's past. It examines grief, regret, friendship and family, most particularly the mother-daughter bond - themes which will resonate with many. It also, quietly, sketches a little of India - the poverty and privilege, the class system, religion, the role of women in a modernising country. Fascinating to me, knowing little of this and leaving me wanting to find out more - a sign of a truly good read.
I found Shalini quite brittle and not especially likeable but the flashbacks to her childhood do a lot to explain. It is an immersive read, quietly powerful and so well-written that it is difficult to believe that it is a first novel - I'm looking forward to more.
An engrossing debut novel skillfully interweaving both personal and political events.
Having experienced an uneasy relationship with her parents, upon her mother's death, Shalini leaves Bangalore and sets off to Kashmir in order to locate Bashir Ahmed, a salesman who frequented the family home and developed a rapport with her mother. Establishing contact with his son, Shalini discovers that life in the troubled Northern region is unsettled and volatile due to political unrest and she soon becomes entangled in the troubled history of the family she stays with. She is eventually forced to make some difficult choices which impact upon the lives of those whom she has formed relationships with.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters are well described yet there is an air of mystery surrounding many of them - especially Shalina's mother - which is quite intriguing. The pervading underlying theme of secrecy brought a constant sense of tension and I did not know which route the plot would take.
I learnt a lot about the political situation in Kashmir as well as becoming captured by Shalina's journey and her experience of grief, politics and morality.
The ending was unexpected but not disappointing.
A highly recommended novel.