Fasting, Feasting

Rating:
Summary: The Thin Line between Feasting and Fasting
Review: This was the first book I've read by Desai, and I'm a fan! Desai demonstrates the thin line between fasting and feasting in this novel. Rather than divide the book between two "halves," she combines both and contrasts the hording mentality of Arun's host mother with the obsessive weight control programs by his host siblings. In the land of plenty, and a stocked freezer, daughter Melanie has an easily recognizable eating disorder. Her brother, however, also works out incessantly to keep himself in shape. In the first part of the book, which is set in India, food takes a back burner and emotions take the front. In the second half, it is just the opposite. Desai exposes the depth (or lack of) of Indian and American society, and does so artfully. This book is not fast-paced or plot-centered, but is rather crafty, reflective, and telling.