…with some book recommendations.
as i stated earlier, i go through phases with the types of books i like to read. i’ve gone through a [massive] paranormal romance stage, historical romance, Teen Lit [that didn't last long], coming of age fiction, and stories about crazy people. i’ve also gone through a phase in which i read nearly historical chinese/japanese fiction novel i could get my hands on… some of my favorites being Memoirs of a Geisha, The Teahouse Fire, Street of a Thousand Blossoms, and Snowflower and the Secret Fan.
i like foreign historical fiction… it gives me glimpses into a past that is so different from my own culture that it might as well be fantasy.
recently, i re-read “A Breath of Fresh Air” by Amulya Mulladi. it’s about a woman who was trapped in the subway during the Bhopal Gas Disaster of 1982 because her husband forgot to pick her up. [i haven't done any historical checks... i'm assuming that the disaster really happened, but am unsure] she is lucky to escape with her life, but is not completely uninjured… as a result of breathing in the deadly gas leak that killed thousands, she has chronic bronchial athsma. she also undergoes many other changes while laying in the hospital bed fighting for her life. she files for a divorce from her husband, which in India is a very, very big deal. she is disowned by her family, and sets off on her own. she eventually remarries and finds happiness, but the gas leak is still plaguing her everyday life. because of it, her son is born with a birth defect that leaves his heart and lungs horribly scarred, and doomed to die in childhood. most of the book revolves around her son’s last days, and the points of view of herself, her husband, her ex-husband (whom comes back into her life) and her ex-husband’s new wife.
it’s a very interesting book, and gives me a glimpse into a culture that i haven’t read much about… the Eastern Indians. i just happen to find that whole section of the world a very interesting place, since i know so little about it. i’ve read an Autobiography by an American who studied ShaoLin (American Shao Lin) and actually loved it. which is definitely impressive, since i really don’t do non-fiction.
i would like to read more historical fiction based in places like India and Tibet, but i’m having a little bit of trouble finding anything that could be categorized as “historical”. it’s almost like they want to forget the past, and concentrate on the present. but just as i find the lives of geisha’s and historical asian women fascinating (though mostly tragic) i am also interested in the lives of people of ancient India, Tibet, and other areas around them.
do you have any recommendations for me?
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