Book Review: Sisters of the Sari by Brenda L. Baker

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . June 22, 2011 . 7:18PM

This summer seems to have been the summer of reading in this house and I couldn’t wait to read this book. In the same vein of going on a trip and having a life experience that I found in “Eat, Pray, Love,” Sisters of the Sari by Brenda L. Baker is one of those books that will grab you and transport you off to India to live in someone else’s shoes for a little while.

Kiria is a Canadian CEO who decides to take a vacation to the non-touristy spots in India. What she finds is that people are all too willing to fleece a white tourist and, after losing her luggage, what she really wants are clean clothes and a little bit of understanding. She finds it in Santoshi, an Indian woman who gives her the last of her money so she can travel back to her hotel. In her quest to repay Santoshi, she discovers that her life has not been as cut and dry as she imagined and that there is much left to be discovered about herself and about others.

First, let’s hit the plot. I was intrigued and entertained by the plot throughout the story. Ms. Baker winds a tale nicely and vividly. Both the setting and characters were well drawn and secondary characters were nicely used to help flesh out the important aspects of the novel. My one complaint is that I feel like I ended the book not knowing or understanding Kiria any better than when I started. In other words, her dynamics didn’t feel like they changed much to me nor did I think she came to much understanding of herself. Yes, she absolutely went to huge lengths (without giving away too much of the plot here) to help others and do great things, but when we end the book, I feel like she herself has changed very little, quite honestly. Elements of who she was were there from the beginning and her growth was not strong. Nor was that of Santoshi. Perhaps the greatest growth came from Laxmi, who was a secondary character who realizes that even in a culture that does not support women’s liberation, you can have it all and you can be happy.

Overall, I truly enjoyed reading this book. It hit on the cultural issues I found lacking in other books regarding Indian tradition and culture (fiction novels, that is) and I enjoyed the characters. More depth in them would have been nice, but not everyone wants a character who goes beyond the surface level to scratch deep. A very nice summer read that went by quickly.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in order to review it. Thanks!