Where Shall We Go This Summer

If Anita Desai's novels revolve around the theme of alienation and lonliness, then this book is certainly no exception. When the protagonist feels the impact of yet another pregnancy, both the minor irritations and the frank grittiness of life become too much to bear. She shuts down emotionally and escapes physically to the island of her childhood where she hopes to remain pregnant with the baby forever since bringing another child into the world is more that she can handle. Though seemingly fantastical in nature, Anita Desai paints a very vivd portrait of a woman who seems alienated by the very air that she breathes. Readers will be gripped by the storyline though the English may seem somewhat stilted and artificial to the American reader. The tidy summation , as well, seemed a bit simplistic and not exactly what the reader may have hoped for. All in all, a great little book embracing the universal themes of a woman's life.