Madras On Rainy Days by Samina Ali
Layla is torn between clashing identities - the dutiful Muslim daughter her immigrant parents raised her to be, the Indian she fantasizes she is, and the free, independent woman America has awakened in her. At nineteen, her parents inform Layla that a marriage has been arranged for her. Her wedding will be in India, to a handsome, ambitious Indian engineer, who knows nothing of Layla's American self and who has some potent secrets of his own. A stunned Layla submits reluctantly. In the heat and noise of Hyderabad, as her wedding looms, her behaviour becomes more erratic. To Layla's surprise, the ancient and elaborate wedding rituals, her groom's physical beauty, and the warm welcome of her new family fill her with a sense of belonging she has never known before. Yet on her honeymoon in Madras, with the monsoon rains drumming ceaselessly outside, the full horror of the devil's bargain she has made is revealed, forcing her to make painful decisions about her roles as a Muslim, a wife and a woman. Set against the backdrop of mounting Hindu-Muslim tensions, MADRAS ON RAINY DAYS, lyrically evokes the complexities of life behind the chador.
"'Samina Ali has created, in her first novel, a compelling story filled with psychological insight and a deep understanding of the conflicts that plague all of us who inhabit two worlds at the same time' Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, author of The Mistress of Spices 'With her debut novel, Madras on Rainy Days, Samina Ali makes a bold entrance on the scene of American immigrant literatureAli is a compelling storyteller. In language that is at once lyrical and unsentimental, she explores both the upside and the downside of being a first generation Muslim Indo-American woman, trapped between the demands of competing cultural heritages. This is a must read for anyone interested in understanding the multicultural fabric of contemporary America' Bharati Mukherjee, author of Desirable Daughters: A Novel"
Samina Ali was born in Hyperabad, India, and raised both in India and the US. She received her MFA from the University of Oregon. Madras on Rainy Days is her debut novel.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780749935672 |
| ISBN 10 | 0749935677 |
| Title | Madras On Rainy Days |
| Author | Samina Ali |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Little, Brown Book Group |
| Year published | 2005-06-02 |
| Number of pages | 336 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |