The Ivory Swing | The Ivory Swing

At a glance:

Author: Janette Turner Hospital
First Published: 1982
Type of Work: Novel
Type of Plot: Social realism
Time of Work: The 1970’s, with flashbacks to the 1960’s
Setting: Southern India; Ontario, Canada; and Boston
Genres: Long fiction, Realism, Social realism
Subjects: Culture, 1960’s, 1970’s, Self-discovery, Tradition, Class conflict, Love or romance, Race, Sex or sexuality, Marriage, Villages, Manners or customs, Writing, Canada or Canadians, India or East Indian people
Locales: Boston, MA, Canada, Ontario, Canada, India

Juliet, a housewife and mother. Young, bright, and attractive, she is filled with a zest for life at the same time that she is afraid to embrace it. Torn between the exciting memories of a carefree relationship in Boston with her former lover and the oppressive drudgery of life in India with her husband, Juliet doubts her own identity. She has a spirit of fire and verbally challenges the patriarchy of Trivandrum in Kerala State, but she appears incapable of acting on the values she claims. Even her academic work demonstrates that lack of fulfillment: She...

The Ivory Swing | The Ivory Swing

At a glance:

Characters Discussed

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