Books of the Month

'The Sari Shop' by Rupa Bajwa

OCTOBER 2005

Orphaned Ramchand is lucky to be able to rent a room of his own, and to have a job in Amritsar's most prestigious sari shop. But even he feels his life is in a rut. He works, eats, sleeps; works, eats, sleeps. But circumstances take an unexpected twist or two, and Ramchand finds himself glimpsing into both the highest and the lowest strata of local society. An 'accidental' guest at the Kapoors' extravagant society wedding, he mingles wide-eyed with the wealthy and well-connected; but when visiting his work colleague Chander he realises his own simple life is far from being as lowly as he thought. Chander has big problems with his drunken wife, Kamla. Ramchand decides to try and snap himself out of his lethargy, and starts relearning English, taking long walks and having positive thoughts. But when he discovers the connection between the Kapoors' and Chander and Kamla, the horror of their opposing extremes threatens to disrupt his life in a much more disturbing way.

To be quite honest, The Sari Shop isn't the best writing you'll come across, nor the best writing about India. Having said that, it's an enjoyable read, with touches of humour and a simplicity that's quite endearing. It's also an affecting story that at first seems to be rolling along quite charmingly until it abruptly confronts real horror. The simplicity that draws in the reader is suddenly redeployed to open our eyes to the violence, misunderstanding and ignorance that permeates Amritsar life. And it works. 'The coin has two sides', as Ramchand learns.

This is Rupa Bajwa's first novel, and she's certainly someone to keep an eye on in the future.

Susan Tranter

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