Sari of the Gods

by G.S. Sharat Chandra

Book Overview

The dual lives of immigrants and the multifaceted challenges faced when divided between cultures.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1566890713
• ISBN13: 9781566890717
• Release Date: April 1998
• Publisher: Coffee House Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful Stories by a Wonderful Man

Sari of the Gods was an assigned text in one of the creative writing classes Professor Chandra taught. I particularly enjoyed his stories "Sari of the Gods" and "Demon" in this collection. Behind Sharat's stories you can get a taste of his home land. It always seemed to me that they tasted a bit like cinnamon. Sharat was a wonderful writer, a wonderful teacher and a wonderful man. And I was deeply saddened upon learning of his death. I would suggest this book to anybody who loves great writing.

Sari of the Gods pin points the immigrant experience.

G.S Sharat Chandra manages once again to provide his reader with intellectual stimulation, cultural insight, and a challenge. That challenge is two fold: The reader is challenged to understand the homelessness of those who have been separated from a culture that has driven them for most of their lives. That homelssness is captured implicitly by Chandra's ability to capture, in images and illusions, the sensitivity of cultural shock. The reader is also challenged to equate that experience with the global experience of diversity that is not limited to just the Indian culture. Much like Willa Cather's My Anstonia, Sari of the Gods brings us to the landscape of change that the Indian immigrant experiences;and, much like Cather, Chandra enables the reader to participate in that experience. Having read other reviews of this collection of short stories, I agree with those who applaud its message and its method of delivery. Contrary to the belief that it is confusing, I find it excitingly simplistic and a wonderful adventure into the developing immigrant in each significant aspect of that adventure. Divided into three parts, the collection allows the reader to be "here" and understand "here" as a momentary part of what each daily experience is. Then, because he reveals to us that being here requires that we can't know that unless we have been somewhere else, Chandra opens the reader to the essence of "there", as only the Indian immigrant could know. However, through the eyes of these characters the reader gets a chance to visit "there" and is invited to equate that visit with personal visits to "there" that each reader has experienced during a lifetime of living. The ultimate test of this book is the "Neither Here Nor There" section. For the collection to work, the reader must be able to understand the mystery of being neither here nor there. Charat Chandra meticulously and precisely led the reader there through the previous two sections. The careful reader can not help but discover that this is not just the experience of the Indian immigrant. This is the experience of all immigrants, the immigrants from other cultures and the immigrants in time and environment who also experience loss as they traverse new concepts and new territory. This collection is a masterpiece of interaction between cultures. It delights us in its revelations and its touching human experiences. It instructs us in the revelation of those experiences and their connection to all of humanity. To do less would leave us empty. To do more would leave us exhausted. Charat Chandra has filled us and given us strength. Ultimately, in our own confusion, we can find solace in the knowledge that loss can be defined and is not limited to any gender, culture, or time.

Richly varied and thought provoking short story collection

This is a short story collection, not a novel; all the stories reflect a common concern with South Indian-American/Western culture shock, but they are written in different styles and each is an experience in and of itself. I found in each story a lovely symmetry and a poetical "zing." It shouldn't be necessary to have lived in India (and thus understand all or even most of the cultural clues underlying the meaning of the stories)in order to appreciate the humanity, humor, and wisdom of this collection.

Probing and educational review of cultural diversity

Mr. Chandra writes knowingly of India's multifarious layers of socio-cultural diversities in an evocative and powerful way. These stories are moving, have great depth of meaning and touch upon our universal selves. Mr. Chandra's stories recreate the fabric of cultural diversities that exist within India. What's more, he humanizes the various differences that exist within its social systems to show how these affect both the educated and the illiterate classes. Mr. Chandra writes like an Indian Chekov and I'm grateful for his contribution to our understanding and knowledge of Indian lives. This is a book not just for scholars and academics, but for all of us.

Often subtle, unique stories of great variety-

Contrary to other customer reviews (which I was guided to read before writing this), I found Mr. Chandra's stories to be very natural and his voice to be quite humble! Clearly this author has drawn from a startlingly wide range of experiences. Though I found myself reading slowly at times (sometimes even re-reading) to obtain a good clarity, I felt rewarded by his careful detail! I especially enjoyed "Immigrant Beginnings" where the Indian character idealized (in a way -glamorized) an uncommonly gaudy American woman in a sad but sincere way. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the misunderstandings between characters in this story and in other stories too. Chandra's narrative was both intimate and distanced within this book. I think that's what enabled me to remember each story so vividly when I'd read a few at a time. As an American with Indian ancestry, perhaps I have a rarefied interest in this kind of literature. However, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that thinks he/she might enjoy stories that are a little "off the beaten path."