Inheritance (Balli Kaur Jaswal, Sleepers)

Told through the eyes of a Punjabi Sikh family and set in Singapore between the 1970s and the 1990s, this bold debut tells the intersecting stories of a family and a nation—both struggling to survive the onslaught of change. Narain’s father is sending him to America in the hope that studying engineering will cure him of the ‘sexual deviance’ which marred his army service. Fifteen-year-old Amrit seems like a typical teenager, acting up and hanging around boys, but as her life starts to spiral out of control, her rapid and devastating decline has far-reaching effects. Gurdev and his wife are raising a new generation of girls who are pushing back against the confines of their world. Focus switches deftly between chapters as characters reveal their private tragedies, and at one point it did feel as though the story would tip over into melodrama; fortunately, it did not. This is a novel with large themes including identity and multiculturalism; repression and individuality; superstition and the stigma of mental illness; shame, disappointment and regret; desire and mania; and love and grief. Ultimately about defiance, survival and self-acceptance, it is surprisingly hopeful. This is highly recommended and will appeal to readers of novels such as Monica Ali’s Brick Lane and Zadie Smith’s White Teeth. 

Paula Grunseit is a freelance journalist, editor and reviewer

Category: Reviews