Clear Light of Day (Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series)
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
- Principal Characters: Bim Das, Raja Das, Tara, Baba Das, Mira-Masi, Bakul, Benazir
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Impressionistic literature, Family literature, Character study
- 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: 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 1916 words long]
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