The strong sisterly bond between Anju and Sudha, two women raised in a third world country and forced into arranged marriages. Impetuous and outspoken Anju the daughter of an upper caste Calcutta family of distinction and beautiful and intelligent Sudha the daughter of a black sheep of the same family form a loving bond almost as soon as they are born. The same day they are born, tragically both their fathers are found dead. They are raised by women in the same strict household with great regard to tradition. At the age of thirteen, Sudha learns a dark family secret, which she keeps from Anju. This starts suspicion and distrust between them, made worse by the blossoming physical beauty of Sudha. Still their bond is strong. Their marriages are arranged and they are married on the same day. When Anju travels USA with her husband, Sudha stays in India. Both have internal secrets that they have kept from each other. When tragedy strikes both of them in different ways, they turn to each other with the same intensity again.

the fact that the secrets they kept from each other were not for selfish reasons but for the reason of looking out for the other one.

to read another book by the same author because she seems to understand the complexities of the human heart. Also she weaves a very good plot.

happy because it reminded me of the relationship I have with my cousin who is also my best friend.

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, an award-winning poet, was born in India. She is the author of another novel, “The Mistress of Spices”, four poetry collections one of them being “Leaving Yuba City”, and Arranged Marriage, her short story collection, which won her PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Prize, the Bay Area Book Reviewers Award, and an American book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation.

In spite of its exotic detail, which makes its reading very interesting, the poignancy of emotions and introspection of its heroines are universally recognizable.

This is an excellent novel. I couldn’t put it down once I got into it. It is also very interesting because it is told from a subjective first person point of view, as both girls take turns telling their versions as the story unfolds.

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Created Mar 09, 2002 at 1:27pm • Submit your own review...