How the one armed sister sweeps her house: Book review


Book Review 


Title: How the one-armed sister sweeps her house

Author: Cherie Jones

Genre: Literary Fiction 

 

When a book starts off with a grandmother’s cautionary tale about a girl having lost one of her arms in a forbidden tunnel, it hooks you right away and compels you to read further. 

 

How the one-armed sister sweeps her house is an intense debut novel set in Barbados in the 1980s. The story starts off with a murder on Baxter Beach and how several character’s lives are connected to it. We have Whalen-a wealthy tourist’s widow, Adan-a professional thief who murders him and a detective investigating the case. Amidst all this is the central character-Lala who is trapped in an abusive marriage like her dead mother and has a grandmother who refuses to address her by her name. Things become worse for Lala after her baby’s death and the appearance of her former flame-Tone. The book goes on to explore how Lala deals with the torrid circumstances and tries make a life for herself. 

 

The writing flows seamlessly alternating between timelines and perspectives of different characters. The story is primarily told in third person and occasionally switches to second person in Lala’s sections.  While the author delves into the lives of the characters in detail, she makes it clear that its Lala’s story throughout. She is quiet yet resilient. There are times when her emotions are raw and exposes her vulnerability. Your heart aches for her during those moments when she longs for her dead mother or when she’s mourning over the loss of her baby. Her grandmother is stern and stifling which makes Lala find refuge in the outside world. 

 

Jones’s vivid descriptions of the beach resort setting lends to the horrors depicted in the novel. It’s as atmospheric as it gets. You experience the tumultuous waves, the stinky seaweed and the changing tides. She blends it with problematic issues like burglary, murder, rape, assault and abuse in detail. Its disturbing and haunting as the characters entice you into their tunnels of trauma. What’s interesting is that the story goes beyond just the premises of a women who is a victim of domestic violence. The element of mystery and suspense adds to the thrill of this narrative. 


One of the brighter moments in this otherwise dark plot is the multiple references to Enid Blyton in the sections of Lala’s story. It’s also interesting to observe the parable of the one-armed sister as a lesson to depict the dire consequences of being disobedient or breaking the rules. It could be attributed to loss and survival which are strong themes in the book. 

 

How the One-Armed Sister sweeps her house is poignant and unforgettable. With its poetic language, dialect and tragic tale, it’s bound to tug your heartstrings. 

 

 

 -- 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Heidi: Movie review

Image
I had read this classic by Johanna Spyri as a little girl. I won it as a prize along with my merit card when I was graduating from Primary to Middle School.  When I stumbled upon this on Amazon Prime, I was delighted. It always feels good to watch your favorite fictional characters on screen. Its often slated that the book is always better as it captures a lot more depth with regards to the plot and characters. However a couple of adaptations that I had seen in the recent past made a good watch. A couple of them ended up being a visual treat. One was The Call of the Wild which showcased the beauty of the Alaskan Wilderness. Another one was Heidi which exhibited the splendor of the snow clad Alps.  Heidi is the story of a young orphaned girl who is sent to live in the mountains with her rather eccentric grandfather-who is known as Alm Uncle by the villagers. Heidi manages to melt his heart as he develops an affection for her. She spends her carefree days in the mountains a
Read more

100 meters : Movie Review

Image
Watched this inspiring Spanish film over the weekend on Netflix!  100 meters is a based on a true story of a man named Ramon who is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He is told that he will be able to even walk 100 meters in the next one year. Determined to prove this wrong, he takes up the challenge of doing the grueling Ironman race which involves 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking and 26.2 miles running.  With the help of his father in law with whom he initially shares a shaky relationship with, he begins to train relentlessly. Ramon faces challenges on the way and is almost pushed to the brink of being bed ridden. He overcomes every hurdle with grit and a positive frame of mind. It remains to be seen if he actually finishes the race.  This movie struck a chord in many ways. A triathlon is not just a race-its a humbling journey which alters your life forever. The training period is especially a challenging one as it demands a lot out of you. The film showcases the importance of f
Read more

My friend Ganesha: Friendship with God

Image
-By Swetha Amit http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=b7ab149a-5f35-4861-8859-6a890ddb71fe Loneliness often propels one to longingly seek a friend. Times like these often push us into a solitary stance or we find our solace in the road to spirituality striking an unspoken friendship with God. My friend Ganesha is one such film which depicts this divine friendship between a child and the elephant faced God and takes you down the mythological lane. The movie revolves around a family consisting of Ashu, his parents, aunt and the maid Gangubhai who places her sincere devotion in Lord Ganapathy. Ashu is a lonely child devoid of any friends and to top it all he is bullied by his counterparts at every given opportunity. To make matters worse, his parents who are caught up with the corporate lifestyles hardly spend time with him. One day he ends up saving a little mouse from the harsh rains. On sharing this with the maid, leaves her enthralled enough to tell him of being the
Read more