The Children of Shahida: A Novel

Anandam Kavoori
Sherman Asher Publishing (2007)
ISBN 9781890932336
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (6/07)

Anandam Kavoori has written a fictional account of a unique family, living in India and immigrating to the United States.  The story covers the lives of three generations of the Solomons, a Christian family with a Muslim name. Rashid, Bashir, and Tyab narrate the story from their point of view. Rashid begins by telling of the formative events of childhood in India.  He talks about the games, his friends, and cousins. The stories are filled with the awe and innocence of childhood and are interwoven with the fun-filled pranks and the insensitivity of taunting remarks and bigotry.   Rashid tells of the family becoming Christians in Muslim India two generations ago and how, as a result, the family moved into a second-class minority.

Although the book is considered historical fiction, I sensed a parallel of Kavoor’s own experiences. He, too, was raised in a small village in India.  His father was a rural development officer. He attended high school and college in Delhi before coming to the United States to study. Whether autobiographical or not, it certainly gives him insights into the progression of change and cultural background and the resultant issues faced in intercultural relationships, especially after moving America.

Of the three men, I especially enjoyed Bashir.  His experiences in childhood portrayed a love for life and for his family. In college he developed a questioning attitude, preparing him for new experiences while trying to hold on to the traditions and culture of his beloved India. His arranged marriage was a disappointment.

Tyab’s world is one filled with trials and loneliness.  Born in the United States, his life was impacted by isolation. His early life revolved around the trials of his lesbian mother. Restless, he became a transient moving from his birthplace in New York to Georgia, and later to California where he found work in the computer industry.
 
Kavoori’s characters are so genuinely real and the details of their lives and the transformative events are so simply told it is hard to remember that this is a work of fiction. “The Children of Shahida” is an incredible chronicle of the pleasures and pain of separation and the breakthrough of moving to a different culture and country.

Kavoori explores questions of identity, religion, politics and sex with humor and interesting imagery.  In “The Children of Shahida” he shares insights into the parallels and differences of Americans and Indians. Kavoori is a sleeping giant among promising new authors.  I am eagerly looking forward to more of his captivating stories.

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