First Darling of the Morning : SElected Memories of an Indian Childhood by Thrity Umrigar

 

Synopsis from www.goodreads.com

First Darling of the Morning is the powerful and poignant memoir of bestselling author Thrity Umrigar, tracing the arc of her Bombay childhood and adolescence from her earliest memories to her eventual departure for the United States at age twenty-one. It is an evocative, emotionally charged story of a young life steeped in paradox; of a middle-class Parsi girl attending Catholic school in a predominantly Hindu city; of a guilt-ridden stranger in her own land, an affluent child in a country mired in abysmal poverty. She reveals intimate secrets and offers an unflinching look at family issues once considered unspeakable as she interweaves two fascinating coming-of-age stories—one of a small child, and one of a nation.

My comments:

It shocked me when I initially read this book. The events and things described here sounds like work of fiction in my tiny brain. Too far fetch. But then, who knows? There are so many outrageous things in this world, but they happens.

It was astonishing to read the part where her mother was like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Bully kids that came for tuition under her. Canning them. And one incident where the mother made the kid to say that his mother serve rat meat for dinner.  Then, in front of the kid's mom, she told her a different story.

There was another chapter where one of her teacher clawed her when she forgot something. That was shocking. Why her parents did not complaint to the school of the harsh treatment? But then again it might have been the norm in those days.

Then there was a chapter where Thrity found out her aunt Mehroo who love her a lot was once engaged to be married. Something happen to the fiance. In page 98, she confessed that the first thought that comes to mind was felt sorry for herself. Thinking that Mehroo had somehow betrayed her because she was in love with someone else before her.

My first thought was 'that was selfish of her'. However, on thinking further, it was not. It's human nature. And it  was very brave of her to write such revealing thoughts about herself in a book knowing that readers can be very judgemental.

In my opinion, you may not like what you read on the first read. Take some time. Think of the things described in the book. Stand in her shoes. Then you might find something new.