Fasting, Feasting  (English, Paperback, Desai Anita)

Published in the year 2012, Fasting, Feasting is a novel that is based on justice and love in an Indian family.

Summary Of The Book

Fasting, Feasting is based on a middle class Indian family, of three children and their parents. The three children’s names are Arun, Aruna, and Uma. Like any other traditional Indian family, the parents crave a son, as they want the family name carried on. The time comes when Arun is born and the parents are overjoyed, while at the same time, they make their eldest daughter, Uma, quit school to look after the newborn. Uma is extremely clumsy and isn’t good at anything that she does. She has been engaged twice, however, either of them resulted in her getting married. This makes her parents decide to let her remain unmarried for the rest of her life.

On the other hand, her sister, Aruna, is cheery by nature and is good at whatever she sets her hands to do. She is married into a rich, yet non-fussy family and her parents are proud of her. On the inside, Uma earnestly longs for freedom, but she has to give up a great deal for her brother. Arun receives everything on a silver platter. The family spends all they have to send him to America to pursue his studies. All hopes are set on him, to find a good job, get settled with a suitable wife, and carry the family name forward.

During his time in America, Arun stays with the Patton family, who are the typical American family, with highly independent children. He remembers the time he spent with his family back home, however, he isn’t emotionally attached to them. Arun finds himself struggling to survive in an environment that’s not what he’s accustomed to, burdened by his father’s ambitions. Fasting, Feasting is fresh and relevant, dealing with the issue of justice and love in an Indian family, which makes for a highly engrossing read. This book has been greatly appreciated by readers worldwide and it was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction.

About Anita Desai

Anita Desai is an author and educator.

Apart from this book, Desai has written Cry, The Peacock, Diamond Dust and Other Stories, The Village by the Sea, and Where Shall We Go This Summer?

Desai was born on 24th June, 1937, in Mussoorie, India. She completed her schooling from Queen Mary’s Higher Secondary School, Delhi. She then went on to obtain her undergraduate degree from Miranda House, University of Delhi, in English Literature. She then married Ashvin Desai, and they have four children together. Desai started working for MIT as a creative writing teacher, where she currently serves as the Emerita John E. Burchard Professor of Humanities. She was also presented with the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1978. Desai has also worked for Baruch College, Smith College, and Mount Holyoke College.