China Room
Sahota, SunjeevIn 1929 when Mehar Kaur and two other young women marry three Sikh brothers in rural Punjab, their mother-in-law ensures that their sequestration is such that they do not know whose husband is whose, as they only meet alone at night. When the inevitable confusion comes to pass, the consequences will be heart-breaking. Mehar's fate is revealed by her great-grandson decades later, visiting from England, fighting his own demons and contemplating his family's circumstances.
Inspired by the author's family history, this is an emotionally powerful story of connection and estrangement and of characters at the mercy of cultural expectations. [Larger font]
Pages
243
243
Year
2021
2021
Reviews
17-01-2024
We found the book seemed to be jumping from character to character too much!
15-01-2024
We all really enjoyed 'China Room'. A fascinating look at a different culture, as well as eras.
16-10-2023
Most members found the storyline unbelievable - the 3 women didn't know which brother was their husband and vice versa. Quite well-written with two storylines/ generations.
29-09-2023
An OK story, but some questions were not answered and the ending was a bit lame.
29-09-2023
Group felt the book was clearly written by a man - not understanding women. The two strands of the story didn't work.
29-09-2023
Varied opinions, some enjoyed the book but others very disappointed in the way women were treated in Indian culture. Moving away from India didn't necessarily improve people's lives.
12-09-2023
Most group members felt that the two stories in one didn't work so well in this book - not enough detail in each to encourage engagement with the characters. A sad, sad tale of Mehar and her "sisters" - and this appears to continue to this day in some areas. We couldn't figure out Mai's behaviour!
11-08-2023
This book was top of our list but we all thought it was badly written. A really interesting topic, and having lived in India myself, I am very aware of the arranged marriages which are still very prevalent today.
17-07-2023
Varied opinions on how much the book was enjoyed. Possibly the ending was a little rushed. Discussion mainly about the role of women in Indian society and the matriarchal role of the boys' mother.
14-06-2023
A light quick book to read but one that encouraged an active discussion on women's rights in the last couple of generations, especially in what we label a 3rd world country.
22-05-2023
Most enjoyed the book. Some found the story sad, despite it being a fictionalised version of the story. Good discussion on arranged marriages, traditions, patriarchal society, and the status of women.
17-05-2023
This story certainly made us feel glad to be brought up in N.Z. We discussed the pros and cons of arranged marriages. The book was set in three different time frames which made it confusing for some. Overall a good read.
01-05-2023
We mostly enjoyed the story. All enjoyed the writing.
21-03-2023
We all enjoyed the book very much - it was complex and some read it twice. There is a lot of intriguing ambiguity which makes it a gripping story. The two different but related stories gave us a fascinating comparison between two different times and countries during such turbulent political times for Indian people.
17-03-2023
Most enjoyed the book. Well-written.
06-03-2023
Most of our group enjoyed this book. The two stories intertwined stretching across time. An insight into life where arranged marriages were the norm in a patriarchal society and yet it was the mother-in-law who controlled her sons and allocated tasks to their wives. So many themes for discussion - addiction, rejection, love, racism, treatment of women.
12-01-2023
An easy read, but also really hard to fathom why women are treated so badly. We learnt a lot from this book.
05-09-2022
We felt that this could have been two separate books, the old story and the recent story. As the change between eras was hard to distinguish, it would have been good to have a 'wrap up' at the end, to show how it all fitted together.
22-08-2022
This book was rather difficult for our members to enjoy, but an honest story of another society.