Evening is the Whole Day by Preeta Samarasan

It is not easy for me to admit this but philosophical/drama kinds of books are never my top choice when it comes to book selection. I was "deeply traumatised" by the book entitled The Known World by Edward P. Jones (multiple award winner mind you :-))... the book was so boring and so slow moving that it has sat UNREAD on my reading table for more than 3years (I bought the book in 25 July 2006) and I doubt I will pick it up anytime soon with the other unread books lying around the vicinity :-P

Anyway, that is another matter altogether... surprisingly, I bought this book without even reading thru its first few pages and truth to be told; I am really pleased with my impromptu decision. The writing style of this book is so abstractly different than the multitude of books I’ve read so far. It goes back and forth, left to right, up and down, across the decades and definitely across boundaries.

This book revolves around the Rajasekharan's family and the way everything revolves around them. Each and every one of the family members are involved in one way or the other and closely interlinked whether they realised it or not. Reminds me of the movie “Babel” starred by Brad Pitt.

There is no main character in this family drama though the characters often in the spotlight would be the family itself... so, to save the mind boggling read, here are the main casts:

Paati:
Role: The Grandma. Dead during the start of the novel. However, she came back to life in the middle part of the novel and dead for good after she fell while taking her bath. She was supposedly "murdered" by Uma and consistently tortured by Amma. But it was Chellam who was blamed by the finger-pointing Aasha (who wanted to protect Uma and get into Uma's good book again). Loved and protected Uma when Uma was young only to be deserted by Uma when she was an old lady.

Appa:
Role: The Dad. Fiery politician before the 1969 Malaysia's racial riot. Then he turned into a consummate lover, lawyer and two-timer dad who had extra-marital affair with a Chinese char koay teow seller. He also inadvertently fondled Uma's pubescent body on one eventful night and blamed everyone except himself for it.

Amma:
Role: The Mom. A quiet illiterate girl who stole Appa's heart and lived a lavish life playing the role of “tai-tai”. She literally fought with Uma for Appa's attention and jealous of Uma for being the smart one in the family. A lady who wanted everything for herself and being pretentious while exerting her territorial home ground over Paati.

Uma:
Role: The Eldest Daughter. Smartest and pride of the family. Appa's favourite daughter until the eventful night when Appa took it all away with her bare hands. In this novel, Uma became the quiet one who looked forward for her one way ticket trip to USA to further her studies in one of the Ivy League universities. Her main goal however is to escape the trappings of the family. Close to Paati and Aasha once but drifted apart after the incident with Appa.

Suresh:
Role: The Son. Born on the night of 13 May 1969; The Malaysian racial riot. The joker in the family who looked things on different perspective. Protective over her youngest sister, Aasha. Often bantering her for being too preoccupied in trying to win over Uma's love.

Aasha:
Role: The Youngest Daughter. Inadvertently broke news on Uma's intention to move to USA to get married with Appa's brother (which wasn't true). Saw the real incident of Paati's death behind the green PVC settee but concealed the truth and blamed Chellam instead. Desperately wanted Uma to stay back and cancel her intention to move out of the house. She has ability to see dead people and talks to them all the time.

Chellam:
Role: The Servant. The unfortunate addition to the family. Originally hired to take care of Paati 100% of her time. Soon, she was blamed for all the wreck up of the family (including the nonsensical affair with Appa's brother) but the last straw was being blamed for Paati's death. She has a drunkard good-for-nothing father and not surprisingly, she committed suicide in the end.

Told you the story is complicated :-) but reading it is like peeling an onion. It comes off layer by layer and by the end of the book; you'll feel really contented and pleased with the outcome. A real good book and praise to the author for writing such a compelling story.

Personal rating: 10 out of 10

Cons:
1) Rather confusing during the beginning but it is OK after you’ve grasp the flow of the story.

Pros:
1) Daring venture from a new author especially because it touches on the 13 May 1969 Malaysia racial riot issue.
2) Book is written in a different paradigm which Malaysians can truly understand.
3) Informative book on the growth, politic & society linkage of a country called Malaysia.