Clear Light of Day Summary - Anita Desai - Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series

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At a glance:

Author: Anita Desai
First Published: 1980
Type of Work: Psychological realism
Time of Work: The summer of 1947 and about fifteen years before and after
Setting: The suburbs of Old Delhi
Characters: Bim Das, Raja Das, Tara, Baba Das, Mira-Masi, Bakul, Benazir
Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Impressionistic literature, Family literature, Character study, Novel
Subjects: Children, Family or family life, Self-discovery, Memory, Politics, 1940's, Guilt, Brothers and sisters, Sisters, India or East Indian people, Disabilities or physically challenged persons, Weddings, Tuberculosis, Family reunions, Diplomacy or diplomats
Locales: Asia, India, Old Delhi, India

The Novel

In early summer, Tara, now a mature wife and mother, returns with her husband to the childhood home in Old Delhi where her sister Bim and brother Baba still live. Tara’s triannual visit to India is punctuated by a special event: the wedding of brother Raja’s oldest daughter. Tara has become an adult woman, happily engaged in her official duties as the spouse of a foreign diplomat and the anxieties of rearing children in an alien culture. Despite Bim’s active teaching career, the elder sister is preoccupied with the family’s past. Obsessively recalling prior...

(The entire page is 1924 words.)

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