Mistress

I am so glad that I read this book. I have only one regret from this book, that is that I wished it never ended. After completing it, I am still holding on the characters.

I quite enjoyed this book, my second by Anita Mair, the first being Ladies' Coupe. A lot of her writing is not just about plot or "story" but about the feelings and experiences of the characters, and in that she excels, writing in a way that evokes the time and place as well as fleshing out the characters.

Against the backdrop of Kerala in Southern India, Anjali Nair paints a deeply evocative tale of generations past and present, of locales near and far, of love, honor and betrayal. It is the story of Radha, a woman with modern day skills but still bound by tradition, her husband Shyam, her Uncle Konam ... and Chris who arrives at their resort from the USA. Radha feels constrained in her marriage of convenience, her artistic soul free to seek self expression only in conversations with the dreamy and philosophical Konam, who has disappointed his family by becoming a famous Kathakali dancer. She is bearly tolerant of Shyam, who she sees as materialistic and boorish, with lowbrow aesthetic tastes. The sudden appearance of Chris in their midst causes her latent vibrance to erupt with volcanic fury of emotions, which changes the relationships she has with all three men. In a sonorous cadence, Nair introduces in turn each of the nine types of human emotions (as exemplified in the classical dance drama form of Kathakali). She spins her tale from the narratives mainly of Radha, Shyam and Konam, an emotion serving as the theme for each of nine chapters. Radha and Chris (is this a clever update of the iconic Hindu lovers Radha and Krishna?) meet again and again as not-so cladestine lovers while Shyam helplessly watches on and Konam gives the relationship tacit approval.

It was well written and i kept my interest in the book till the end.

I enjoyed both The Ladies' Coupe and The Better Man, but I think this is Anita Nair's best novel to date. Universal themes about marriage are explored, as well as the nature of art and the importance of family ties. Set in lush Kerala, it is well worth reading. The language and nuanced emotions are beautiful and compelling.