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Inheritance
Winner of the 2014 Best Young Australian Novelists Award
In 1971, teenaged Amrit disappears from her house in the middle of the night. Although her absence is brief, she returns a different person, and the event causes fissures that threaten to fracture her Punjabi Sikh family.
Over the next two decades, as Singapore’s political and social landscapes evolve, the family must cope with shifting attitudes toward castes, youth culture, sex and gender roles, identity and belonging. Inheritance examines each family member’s struggles to either preserve or buck tradition in the face of an ever-changing nation.
In 1971, teenaged Amrit disappears from her house in the middle of the night. Although her absence is brief, she returns a different person, and the event causes fissures that threaten to fracture her Punjabi Sikh family.
Over the next two decades, as Singapore’s political and social landscapes evolve, the family must cope with shifting attitudes toward castes, youth culture, sex and gender roles, identity and belonging. Inheritance examines each family member’s struggles to either preserve or buck tradition in the face of an ever-changing nation.
264 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2013
77 people are currently reading
3698 people want to read
About the author
Balli Kaur Jaswal
17 books2,518 followersBalli Kaur Jaswal's latest novel is The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters (Harper Collins/William Morrow). Her previous novels include Inheritance, which won the Sydney Morning Herald’s Best Young Australian Novelist Award, and Sugarbread, a finalist for the Epigram Books Fiction Prize and the Singapore Literature Prize. Her third novel Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows was translated into 15 languages and chosen by Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine book club.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 175 reviews
January 23, 2014
This is the book i thought i'd have to write myself if i ever wanted to read it, and so much more. This is the first novel to deal directly with my experience as a member of the Sikh diaspora in Singapore. Written with poise and grace, Inheritance offers a story of one family's struggles with love, loss, belonging, modernity and deviance in a developing Singapore.
Jaswal describes the changing Singapore landscape - both physical and metaphysical - beautifully. Her prose is full of micro-insights into the lasting shock of moving from a house to much cosier HDB estate flat living. Narain's and Amrit's personal stories (and their relationship with each other) resonated most strongly with me, but every protagonist is made full and complex to the reader. Jaswal doesn't shy away from addressing the more damaging aspects of Singapore life, but neither does she allow criticism to reduce the narrative into any kind of manifesto or list of complaints.
It's a shame this book and its author will probably never be promoted by the mostly conservative (self-)assigned leadership of Singapore's Sikh community, because it grapples with precisely the topics the community is loathe to address head on.
Highly recommended. I look forward to more of Jaswal's excellent work.
Jaswal describes the changing Singapore landscape - both physical and metaphysical - beautifully. Her prose is full of micro-insights into the lasting shock of moving from a house to much cosier HDB estate flat living. Narain's and Amrit's personal stories (and their relationship with each other) resonated most strongly with me, but every protagonist is made full and complex to the reader. Jaswal doesn't shy away from addressing the more damaging aspects of Singapore life, but neither does she allow criticism to reduce the narrative into any kind of manifesto or list of complaints.
It's a shame this book and its author will probably never be promoted by the mostly conservative (self-)assigned leadership of Singapore's Sikh community, because it grapples with precisely the topics the community is loathe to address head on.
Highly recommended. I look forward to more of Jaswal's excellent work.
June 26, 2018
I read at least one piece of literature from every country I visit, and I picked this book for Singapore. In a way, it’s an odd choice because – while the book is set in Singapore over a two decade period -- the story revolves around a Punjabi Sikh family. The family consists of single-parent father, two sons, and a daughter who is the youngest child. The father is a police officer who’d been posted to Singapore before it became an independent country. (Singapore is a small [in size, not necessarily in population] island nation that was a British colony, was under Japanese occupation during the Second World War, and then was briefly part of Malaysia -- before gaining its independence in 1965.) Given the facts that: a.) Singapore is so fundamentally multi-cultural; b.) the setting substantially influences the nature of the story; and c.) the author lived in Singapore long enough to convey its feel, I stand by my choice.
The story revolves around the damage that can be done by shame and the dark side of traditional values – especially when transplanted into a society that is highly competitive, orderly, but also indulgent. That’s where the importance of the Singaporean setting comes into play. While it’s a strict society that prides itself on order, Singapore is also a mega-Asia metropolis where anyone can find a dim recess to do whatever he or she wants.
Amrit, the young woman in the family, is the single biggest point of shame for the father – and, to varying degrees, the rest of the family. She drinks to excess, is promiscuous, is generally dismissive of traditional values, and all of this ultimately results in her being unmarriageable [at least not in a traditional wedding to a family of equal or greater status as is so coveted in Indian culture.] Early in the book, she disappears for several days and throws the family into a lurch. One would think that concern for Amrit’s well-being would be the over-riding emotion during her absence, but it’s tainted by fear that she’ll make the family look bad. The problem is that Amrit is bipolar but no one recognizes this because all the family can accept is that she is misbehaving – perhaps because she never got to know her mother. Because of this, she doesn’t get treatment for her condition until long after she should have. The fear of her being seen as “mad” and the effect that would have on her ability to be wed keeps the family from helping Amrit get the medicine that would allow her manage her impulses and make better decisions.
The middle son, Narain, is a quieter embarrassment to his father. While Narain is not the kind to go on benders or to draw attention to himself, he is gay – in both a culture and a country that are intolerant of homosexuality. At the beginning of the book we see him being sent away to America to college after being prematurely discharged from military service. His father thinks college in America will make a man out of Narain, but what it does is expose him to an environment which is more permissive but at the same time which drives him away from the Sikh values with which he was raised. In short, it does exactly the opposite of what the father hoped for, and we can imagine Narain would have gone through life playing a part as dictated by traditional norms (getting married, having children, and either repressing his sexuality or leading a secret double-life) had he not spent time abroad.
Even the eldest son, Gurdev, is a disappointment to the father despite the fact that he lives life by the traditional script, marrying a wife who has traditional Punjabi values, and having three children who are successful in school. (Though the fact that they are all girls may be an unstated element of the father’s disappointment, it seems to have more to do with the fact that a cousin who was orphaned and spent time with the family is progressing more quickly occupationally that Gurdev.)
I enjoyed this book and found it quite illuminating. One sees how tradition and modernity come to loggerheads, and how the outcome is influenced by taking place in a setting that is still trying to get a footing on how to be a country – as Singapore was at the time. It seems fascinating how culture and traditional values form – for good or for bad – blinders. The father can’t fathom that Amrit has a mental condition, not just because he’s in denial, but because it’s not a construct that’s part of his world. Narain, at the start of the book, is extremely aware of cultural norms (e.g. in the opening, we see that he won’t step on so much as a brochure because it’s a violation of the tradition he was raised in to step on the written word.)
I’d highly recommend this book. It’s especially good for those who are seeking to gain insight into Singapore, Punjabi culture, or who want to see how mental illness is swept under the rug to the detriment of all involved.
The story revolves around the damage that can be done by shame and the dark side of traditional values – especially when transplanted into a society that is highly competitive, orderly, but also indulgent. That’s where the importance of the Singaporean setting comes into play. While it’s a strict society that prides itself on order, Singapore is also a mega-Asia metropolis where anyone can find a dim recess to do whatever he or she wants.
Amrit, the young woman in the family, is the single biggest point of shame for the father – and, to varying degrees, the rest of the family. She drinks to excess, is promiscuous, is generally dismissive of traditional values, and all of this ultimately results in her being unmarriageable [at least not in a traditional wedding to a family of equal or greater status as is so coveted in Indian culture.] Early in the book, she disappears for several days and throws the family into a lurch. One would think that concern for Amrit’s well-being would be the over-riding emotion during her absence, but it’s tainted by fear that she’ll make the family look bad. The problem is that Amrit is bipolar but no one recognizes this because all the family can accept is that she is misbehaving – perhaps because she never got to know her mother. Because of this, she doesn’t get treatment for her condition until long after she should have. The fear of her being seen as “mad” and the effect that would have on her ability to be wed keeps the family from helping Amrit get the medicine that would allow her manage her impulses and make better decisions.
The middle son, Narain, is a quieter embarrassment to his father. While Narain is not the kind to go on benders or to draw attention to himself, he is gay – in both a culture and a country that are intolerant of homosexuality. At the beginning of the book we see him being sent away to America to college after being prematurely discharged from military service. His father thinks college in America will make a man out of Narain, but what it does is expose him to an environment which is more permissive but at the same time which drives him away from the Sikh values with which he was raised. In short, it does exactly the opposite of what the father hoped for, and we can imagine Narain would have gone through life playing a part as dictated by traditional norms (getting married, having children, and either repressing his sexuality or leading a secret double-life) had he not spent time abroad.
Even the eldest son, Gurdev, is a disappointment to the father despite the fact that he lives life by the traditional script, marrying a wife who has traditional Punjabi values, and having three children who are successful in school. (Though the fact that they are all girls may be an unstated element of the father’s disappointment, it seems to have more to do with the fact that a cousin who was orphaned and spent time with the family is progressing more quickly occupationally that Gurdev.)
I enjoyed this book and found it quite illuminating. One sees how tradition and modernity come to loggerheads, and how the outcome is influenced by taking place in a setting that is still trying to get a footing on how to be a country – as Singapore was at the time. It seems fascinating how culture and traditional values form – for good or for bad – blinders. The father can’t fathom that Amrit has a mental condition, not just because he’s in denial, but because it’s not a construct that’s part of his world. Narain, at the start of the book, is extremely aware of cultural norms (e.g. in the opening, we see that he won’t step on so much as a brochure because it’s a violation of the tradition he was raised in to step on the written word.)
I’d highly recommend this book. It’s especially good for those who are seeking to gain insight into Singapore, Punjabi culture, or who want to see how mental illness is swept under the rug to the detriment of all involved.
March 17, 2019
I know this won't make much sense, but my entire reaction to this book can be summed up in one sentence: How could this fucking happen?
I am too overwhelmed to be able to evaluate this book for its literary merit right now. Reading this book felt like returning to a part of myself that had always existed but never been touched. I slipped into a new but familiar body and feel closer to myself, more whole, more tender. This book and I were made for one another and I'm so glad we're only just meeting now because I don't think any other time would have felt right.
(I hope I don't look back at this and think I was being completely melodramatic)
I am too overwhelmed to be able to evaluate this book for its literary merit right now. Reading this book felt like returning to a part of myself that had always existed but never been touched. I slipped into a new but familiar body and feel closer to myself, more whole, more tender. This book and I were made for one another and I'm so glad we're only just meeting now because I don't think any other time would have felt right.
(I hope I don't look back at this and think I was being completely melodramatic)
October 29, 2020
The bad egg of the family isn't inheriting anything because she would rather spend her time trying to forget what it is like to live in a dysfunctional family. With an imposing father and an overbearing brother, one of our protagonists deviate from her 'predefined' path. On the other hand, her brother questions modern Singapore, its government, and their actions towards Immigrants.
Jaswal is detail-oriented and meticulous and writes in an engaging and graceful way. She doesn't provide any instance for us to judge the characters, just a pedestal to see the drama unfold and probably, empathize.
What I loved most about this book is how she took care of most of the aspects of an immigrant life without the info dump. Her characters are struggling, and visibly so. And her stories are poignant and fluid, albeit a little slow.
Jaswal is detail-oriented and meticulous and writes in an engaging and graceful way. She doesn't provide any instance for us to judge the characters, just a pedestal to see the drama unfold and probably, empathize.
What I loved most about this book is how she took care of most of the aspects of an immigrant life without the info dump. Her characters are struggling, and visibly so. And her stories are poignant and fluid, albeit a little slow.
August 19, 2022
This is the second book I am reading by Balli Kaur Jaswal, and she’s slowly becoming one of my favorite writers.
‘Inheritance’ is a story of a family and a country. I haven’t read too many novels set in Singapore, so reading its historical intricacies was refreshing. And what can I say about Jaswal’s compassionate look at mental health? This is a compelling portrait of a family that struggles with grief - and with the consequences of mental illness. Yet, there’s so much hope too.
An utterly readable novel in the immigrant genre.
‘Inheritance’ is a story of a family and a country. I haven’t read too many novels set in Singapore, so reading its historical intricacies was refreshing. And what can I say about Jaswal’s compassionate look at mental health? This is a compelling portrait of a family that struggles with grief - and with the consequences of mental illness. Yet, there’s so much hope too.
An utterly readable novel in the immigrant genre.
November 26, 2017
Does this review contain spoilers? I don’t know. I can’t tell what it has spoilt.
Show me a human with a clear sense of identity and I will agree that Singaporeans need to figure out theirs. I think Jaswal’s Inheritance makes a very strong case that Singaporeans do and don’t, if only you accept that it’s possible to have and not have an identity at the same time. Why do I identify with the description “her seat at the back was hot from the engine. A gash in the upholstery pokes the back of her thigh”? What kind of crazy identification is that and could I see myself standing up in a room full of delegates from different nations and announce that this is how it feels sometimes to be a Singaporean? How do I explain that I can feel the texture of that gash and the heat of that engine and consider these feelings more intimate than the ones I feel when fireworks go off during the National Day Parade?
The earnest, long-suffering first generation of this novel reduce themselves to roles within a community (mother, father) sacrificing individuality, freedom,and indulgence with the hopes of fulfilling their dream of better dreams for future generations. And in doing so, force unwanted dreams upon the second generation. An accident, an accident they would not prevent even if some part of them knew it was coming.
The second generation fretfully attempts to stop the next generation from inheriting the same burdens they did and takes drastic measures. Distances are established, ties are broken, important phone calls not made, and gatherings are marked by absences and the feeble attempts to justify them. Casualties and anomalies of the “success narrative” are conveniently buried, forced to roam and rot in the peripheries and the shadows, back alleys, and drains. Start running away from home and school, then run away from the state and country, run away from your job, run away from your humanity and reality, and when will you stop running? We are all in the longkang, but the only stars are the five on the national flag. There’s no romantic cliche possible, not the ones we are used to anyway.
A lot of this is familiar territory, but Jaswal makes it a point to remind us that it should not be. And I think that’s important, and heartfelt. When we urgently want to form an identity, we cling to cliches, tradition, history, familiarity, and our inheritance. We want to be part of something enduring. To be disowned and to disinherit are frowned upon and mourned. But should it be? The firm “it’s not your time” is not a betrayal. It’s quite simply an affirmation of disinheritance. Identity is never formed, but always forming. Rewrite it. And don’t kid yourself, one drawer isn’t going to be enough to contain all the writing. Neither will a house, be it a Naval Base bungalow, a fertile spread of Punjab farmland, or a HDB flat. Nor will a country, a religion, the world.
Perhaps our identities, like Amrit’s, are all bigger than the world can contain. But we mustn’t stop writing, or seeking, or living, or hurting just because the world has no place for us to demonstrate what’s going on inside us. The first three-quarters of the novel were good, but the final quarter was bold and brilliantly written. And not because there are any twists, because if you ask me I don’t think there’s any. But for the sheer honesty, the unapologetic departures, the refusal to end with a studio portrait of a family of three generations smiling for the camera, having pushed through and survived the many trials and tribulations. A book is not a lifetime, a portrait of a family does not look like that, does not end like that.
Looking forward to reading more of Jaswal’s works.
Show me a human with a clear sense of identity and I will agree that Singaporeans need to figure out theirs. I think Jaswal’s Inheritance makes a very strong case that Singaporeans do and don’t, if only you accept that it’s possible to have and not have an identity at the same time. Why do I identify with the description “her seat at the back was hot from the engine. A gash in the upholstery pokes the back of her thigh”? What kind of crazy identification is that and could I see myself standing up in a room full of delegates from different nations and announce that this is how it feels sometimes to be a Singaporean? How do I explain that I can feel the texture of that gash and the heat of that engine and consider these feelings more intimate than the ones I feel when fireworks go off during the National Day Parade?
The earnest, long-suffering first generation of this novel reduce themselves to roles within a community (mother, father) sacrificing individuality, freedom,and indulgence with the hopes of fulfilling their dream of better dreams for future generations. And in doing so, force unwanted dreams upon the second generation. An accident, an accident they would not prevent even if some part of them knew it was coming.
The second generation fretfully attempts to stop the next generation from inheriting the same burdens they did and takes drastic measures. Distances are established, ties are broken, important phone calls not made, and gatherings are marked by absences and the feeble attempts to justify them. Casualties and anomalies of the “success narrative” are conveniently buried, forced to roam and rot in the peripheries and the shadows, back alleys, and drains. Start running away from home and school, then run away from the state and country, run away from your job, run away from your humanity and reality, and when will you stop running? We are all in the longkang, but the only stars are the five on the national flag. There’s no romantic cliche possible, not the ones we are used to anyway.
A lot of this is familiar territory, but Jaswal makes it a point to remind us that it should not be. And I think that’s important, and heartfelt. When we urgently want to form an identity, we cling to cliches, tradition, history, familiarity, and our inheritance. We want to be part of something enduring. To be disowned and to disinherit are frowned upon and mourned. But should it be? The firm “it’s not your time” is not a betrayal. It’s quite simply an affirmation of disinheritance. Identity is never formed, but always forming. Rewrite it. And don’t kid yourself, one drawer isn’t going to be enough to contain all the writing. Neither will a house, be it a Naval Base bungalow, a fertile spread of Punjab farmland, or a HDB flat. Nor will a country, a religion, the world.
Perhaps our identities, like Amrit’s, are all bigger than the world can contain. But we mustn’t stop writing, or seeking, or living, or hurting just because the world has no place for us to demonstrate what’s going on inside us. The first three-quarters of the novel were good, but the final quarter was bold and brilliantly written. And not because there are any twists, because if you ask me I don’t think there’s any. But for the sheer honesty, the unapologetic departures, the refusal to end with a studio portrait of a family of three generations smiling for the camera, having pushed through and survived the many trials and tribulations. A book is not a lifetime, a portrait of a family does not look like that, does not end like that.
Looking forward to reading more of Jaswal’s works.
July 26, 2024
Érase una vez una familia, Padre, dos hijos varones y la pequeña; además hay un sobrino adoptivo, que es en quien Padre ve mejor representados sus anhelos; y Madre, que aparece algunas veces, sin que quede clara su situación.
Los comentarios hacen referencia a una familia disfuncional, lo cual me ha parecido excesivo; no sé si existirán familias que uno pueda catalogar como normales.
Lo particular es que esta familia forma parte de la religión y la tradición sij, que tiene una gran presencia en la región del Punjab, en la región noroccidental de India; y Padre, como fiel seguidor de la tradición, pretende que sus hijos se esfuercen, progresen y lleguen a ser exitosos, y así sean motivo de orgullo. Y, como en muchos casos, los hijos no están a la altura de sus expectativas, y de alguna manera hacen notar su rebeldía.
El otro hecho particular, es que la historia transcurre en Singapur, una Ciudad Estado insular del sudeste asiático, que en pocos años pasó de ser un país pobre y considerado inviable, a ser uno de los Tigres Asiáticos, que actualmente tiene el mayor ingreso per cápita del mundo. Un país de extranjeros: malayos, chinos, indios, tamiles (el 50% de los residentes nació en otro país).
Y entre el pasado y la tradición por un lado, y los afanes de libertad y disfrute por otro, se muestran en escena la dinámica de este grupo familiar, con personajes muy bien desarrollados.
Aparece la temática de la Salud Mental, otro motivo de conflicto entre generaciones. Y aunque las propuestas modernas constituyen un indudable avance respecto a las explicaciones religiosas de la posesión demoníaca o a un vicio decadente de la voluntad y la virtud, la alternativa se presenta con cierta rigidez clasificatoria propia de los modelos americanos, y plasmados en el DSM 10, la nueva Biblia de la Psiquiatría. Aunque estos elementos suelen ser útiles como guía, los seres humanos solemos ser atípicos o anormales casi como norma.
Una buena novela. ágil y muy bien contada, de una familia muy normal, con un final que me pareció una excelente utilización de los recursos de la literatura.
Los comentarios hacen referencia a una familia disfuncional, lo cual me ha parecido excesivo; no sé si existirán familias que uno pueda catalogar como normales.
Lo particular es que esta familia forma parte de la religión y la tradición sij, que tiene una gran presencia en la región del Punjab, en la región noroccidental de India; y Padre, como fiel seguidor de la tradición, pretende que sus hijos se esfuercen, progresen y lleguen a ser exitosos, y así sean motivo de orgullo. Y, como en muchos casos, los hijos no están a la altura de sus expectativas, y de alguna manera hacen notar su rebeldía.
El otro hecho particular, es que la historia transcurre en Singapur, una Ciudad Estado insular del sudeste asiático, que en pocos años pasó de ser un país pobre y considerado inviable, a ser uno de los Tigres Asiáticos, que actualmente tiene el mayor ingreso per cápita del mundo. Un país de extranjeros: malayos, chinos, indios, tamiles (el 50% de los residentes nació en otro país).
Y entre el pasado y la tradición por un lado, y los afanes de libertad y disfrute por otro, se muestran en escena la dinámica de este grupo familiar, con personajes muy bien desarrollados.
Aparece la temática de la Salud Mental, otro motivo de conflicto entre generaciones. Y aunque las propuestas modernas constituyen un indudable avance respecto a las explicaciones religiosas de la posesión demoníaca o a un vicio decadente de la voluntad y la virtud, la alternativa se presenta con cierta rigidez clasificatoria propia de los modelos americanos, y plasmados en el DSM 10, la nueva Biblia de la Psiquiatría. Aunque estos elementos suelen ser útiles como guía, los seres humanos solemos ser atípicos o anormales casi como norma.
Una buena novela. ágil y muy bien contada, de una familia muy normal, con un final que me pareció una excelente utilización de los recursos de la literatura.
October 22, 2020
Inheritance by Balli Kaur Jaswal is a contemporary fiction set in Singapore around 1970s - 1990s. We see a Sikh Punjabi family and 4-5 characters in this book. Amrit, the younger sister to Narain who is sent to America for his education. The father and the cousin brother Gurdev. It focuses on a Sikh family's struggle with loss, love, belonging, and much more.
We see Amrit running away from home one night and Narain is called back immediately from America. The struggles and the relationship described in this book will resonate with some of you. The belonging of a community will make you realise what it feels like to live away from your own Home.
Author being from the same background and country, I solely believe with what all author has tried to project in this book. It focuses on the dark side of strict rules and having a difficulty to actually move ahead with the times and society. Which is actually felt and seen in many homes and in many cultures.
Another perspective is the times before India's Independence and also before Singapore became an Independent Country. We see Amrit being Bipolar and dealing with her mother's death. How difficult it is for the family to actually accept her mental illness. The father, however thinks all his kids are a shame in some way or the other.
This was my first book by the author and I am absolutely stunned with this work of literature. I am looking forward to reading more books by her. Should definitely pick this book if you are looking for some bitter insights into the Singapore Culture and Sikh Punjabi Culture.
We see Amrit running away from home one night and Narain is called back immediately from America. The struggles and the relationship described in this book will resonate with some of you. The belonging of a community will make you realise what it feels like to live away from your own Home.
Author being from the same background and country, I solely believe with what all author has tried to project in this book. It focuses on the dark side of strict rules and having a difficulty to actually move ahead with the times and society. Which is actually felt and seen in many homes and in many cultures.
Another perspective is the times before India's Independence and also before Singapore became an Independent Country. We see Amrit being Bipolar and dealing with her mother's death. How difficult it is for the family to actually accept her mental illness. The father, however thinks all his kids are a shame in some way or the other.
This was my first book by the author and I am absolutely stunned with this work of literature. I am looking forward to reading more books by her. Should definitely pick this book if you are looking for some bitter insights into the Singapore Culture and Sikh Punjabi Culture.
December 17, 2020
I go into books after long forgetting what the blurb was about & this book followed the same pattern. After seeing the cover it looked like it'll be a happy ending for a family kind of a book and it seemed perfect for my current mood- so I picked it up. I was quite taken back when I started reading it tho. The overall plot was quite dark.
The story follows a timeline of 20 years in the late 90's and is about a Sikh family in Singapore trying to preserve tradition while everything around them keeps on changing, even the people in their own family.
A homosexual son who want to defy the rulings of the nation & a son desperately trying to secure his daughters future in the hope that they don't follow the footsteps of his sister.
A daughter who seemed to be "out of control" (because she turned to alcohol and sex and bought 'shame to the family') is a easy label to give a person than recognise why they do things the way they do it. In my opinion Balli Kaur Jaswal did a great job elucidating mental illness and the natural response to it in a desi family.
I mostly picked up this one because of the great things I had heard about from others- of the author's works. I'm glad to say I am not disappointed at all. The writing was bold and it made quite a statement. Something you'll end up binge reading perhaps. It was hard for me to binge read it because it constantly got me drifted in heavy thoughts but overall it was an amazing one.
Trigger Warning: Explanation of Experiences in Mental Illness (Bipolar Disorder)
The story follows a timeline of 20 years in the late 90's and is about a Sikh family in Singapore trying to preserve tradition while everything around them keeps on changing, even the people in their own family.
A homosexual son who want to defy the rulings of the nation & a son desperately trying to secure his daughters future in the hope that they don't follow the footsteps of his sister.
A daughter who seemed to be "out of control" (because she turned to alcohol and sex and bought 'shame to the family') is a easy label to give a person than recognise why they do things the way they do it. In my opinion Balli Kaur Jaswal did a great job elucidating mental illness and the natural response to it in a desi family.
I mostly picked up this one because of the great things I had heard about from others- of the author's works. I'm glad to say I am not disappointed at all. The writing was bold and it made quite a statement. Something you'll end up binge reading perhaps. It was hard for me to binge read it because it constantly got me drifted in heavy thoughts but overall it was an amazing one.
Trigger Warning: Explanation of Experiences in Mental Illness (Bipolar Disorder)
did-not-finish
February 4, 2022I read more than a quarter of this novel and was done in by the humdrum flatness of the characterization. A lot of big dramatic themes and family dynamics at work, none of which seemed to stir these characters at their core. Didn’t work for me. Didn’t finish.
March 31, 2021
3.75 stars...( not quite like many of my 4 star books, but better than my 3.5 starrers too.)
Story of a dysfunctional Sikh family in Singapore in the 1970s...a father and 3 children, 2 boys and a girl, who all have their own troubles- inherent and acquired.
I was immersed in their neat to ordinary life , the Singapore I was shown through this book and how the story unfolded.
The main theme is mental illness and it is dealt with in a very realistic way .
Story of a dysfunctional Sikh family in Singapore in the 1970s...a father and 3 children, 2 boys and a girl, who all have their own troubles- inherent and acquired.
I was immersed in their neat to ordinary life , the Singapore I was shown through this book and how the story unfolded.
The main theme is mental illness and it is dealt with in a very realistic way .
May 29, 2022
woah. this is a story, alright. this has devastating emotional impact (my friend whom i borrowed this from can attest to that - she “couldn’t get through after halfway because [she] cldn’t cope” lol). within a reasonable-length book, it packs in so much: familial ties, individual struggles, within the framework of a subliminal, effective, reasonable critique of singapore. from issues of mental health to the criminalisation of homosexuality to the merciless education system to the unforgiveness of singaporean society (and the microcosm of the punjabi community in singapore), this book explores all the imperfects in a seemingly “perfect” society. the characterisation initially felt a little caricature-like, but it mellowed into a brutal, flawed characterisation that left me sucked into the story and very much emotionally invested. at points i wondered if it was too on-the-nose in its descriptions or critiques of sg (think - a letter to the social development unit), but at the same time it was almost a relief to see someone write about it; to put into words all the hidden discomforts and tensions manifested within this “beautiful” country. definitely a new favourite singlit novel.
May 11, 2016
An intimate portrait of a Sikh family and the familial ties that bind and fray cyclically. A bleak narrative with nary a hope in sight. Touted to be connected with the rise and rise of Singapore, if the characters were transplanted to any other major urbanopolis, the narrative and the fate of its characters wouldn't have changed. And that's the drawback of this book. However, kudos to the author to boldly tackle the taboos that any small middle class family may face.
April 18, 2020
4.5 stars. This is a sit around for a while and think about it after I finish sort of book. The themes of shame and mental health made it a pretty rough read, but it was dealt with well and ultimately some resolution was found. I appreciate that she didn’t tie things up neatly at the end but gave some hope for some people
July 8, 2018
This novel explores the theme of inheritance not only from a material perspective, but also from a mental and emotional one as well, as is the case of Amrit and her relationship with her father, siblings and an absent mother, in a country that is still waiting to discover its identity.
May 21, 2022
I savoured every page of this beautifully written novel.
Balli Kaur Jaiswal, the author, does a phenomenal job capturing the trials and tribulations of a Sikh immigrant family in Singapore during the post-independence era. I was particularly captivated by her description of Singapore, a detailed backdrop to the complex lives of her characters who were navigating their purpose, sexuality and mental health whilst living in a country which demands a lot out of its citizens in order to maintain a polished image.
This is not a leisurely read. Kaur sculpts the anxieties, frustrations and experiences of each character so perfectly that the reader almost lives it themselves. But I found that the investment of emotional energy that was required was rewarded with rich insights into a fascinating country!
Balli Kaur Jaiswal, the author, does a phenomenal job capturing the trials and tribulations of a Sikh immigrant family in Singapore during the post-independence era. I was particularly captivated by her description of Singapore, a detailed backdrop to the complex lives of her characters who were navigating their purpose, sexuality and mental health whilst living in a country which demands a lot out of its citizens in order to maintain a polished image.
This is not a leisurely read. Kaur sculpts the anxieties, frustrations and experiences of each character so perfectly that the reader almost lives it themselves. But I found that the investment of emotional energy that was required was rewarded with rich insights into a fascinating country!
August 8, 2025
2.5.
I personally felt like there was no depth in the story. Everything felt very on-the-surface, because of which I wasn’t invested in the life of the characters from the start. What happens to Karam? Why was he required in the story? I get the general idea perhaps as to why this character was needed but it doesn’t make sense to me. Even Gurdev’s life is on-the-surface. I also felt like everything got tied up neatly into a bow towards the end of the book. Conveniently. I wish the author had gone more into detail wrt the ending, yes, but also throughout the book.
I personally felt like there was no depth in the story. Everything felt very on-the-surface, because of which I wasn’t invested in the life of the characters from the start. What happens to Karam? Why was he required in the story? I get the general idea perhaps as to why this character was needed but it doesn’t make sense to me. Even Gurdev’s life is on-the-surface. I also felt like everything got tied up neatly into a bow towards the end of the book. Conveniently. I wish the author had gone more into detail wrt the ending, yes, but also throughout the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2021
Inheritance stood out from all my recent reading more for the questions it raises than for how those questions are addressed. It took me some effort to finish the book because I found the author's voice very remote. The characters evoke pity, for sure, but there's something about the writing that prevents from really emphathising with any of them. The writing is not immersive enough.
On the other hand, the setting and the conflicts are very interesting. The issues of honour and shame, what good girls may do and may not, what kind of sexual orientation is acceptable (only one), and denial of mental illness come together in quite an explosive mix.
This is a work of fiction that is valuable because of its social commentary, and the notions it challenges.
On the other hand, the setting and the conflicts are very interesting. The issues of honour and shame, what good girls may do and may not, what kind of sexual orientation is acceptable (only one), and denial of mental illness come together in quite an explosive mix.
This is a work of fiction that is valuable because of its social commentary, and the notions it challenges.
January 31, 2021
One thing for sure after reading this book I don't want to visit Singapore. I didn't understand the whole point of the book. Constantly telling us how bad Singapore is ?
It was a meaningless story where the kids abandon their dad in the end 🤷
It was a meaningless story where the kids abandon their dad in the end 🤷
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2021
Ths family saga centred on a Sikh family living in Singapore beginning in the 1970s is beautiful and flawlessly crafted. Exploring issues such as homosexuality and mental illness from the perspective of the Sikh community, it is compassionate, powerful and heart-wrenching. A compelling story.
September 9, 2021
With this, I've officially read all books by the author and I can say without a doubt that this one is my favorite.
I could relate to every character in this book and it felt so natural and hit close home.
Detailed review coming soon.
I could relate to every character in this book and it felt so natural and hit close home.
Detailed review coming soon.
January 7, 2020
This book tackles a lot of things. A Punjabi Sikh family in the old Singapore, evolve with the country, as every part of the family find their own story. About mental illness, grief, sexual identity, believe, community, acceptance, religious. I think I’m a fan of Balli Kaur Jaswal now.
July 28, 2024
"Aquello se convirtió para mí en un recordatorio constante de la profunda incoherencia existente entre las iniciativas gubernamentales encaminadas a civilizar este país y las señales reales de civilización que mostraba nuestro pueblo. Las campañas para la cortesía y la prohibición del chicle no son más que soluciones superficiales. La gente debería ser amable con los demás por simple convicción. La gente debería entender que pegar el chicle mascado en los botones de los ascensores es asqueroso. El Gobierno, con su afán por hacer avanzar al pueblo de Singapur a la misma velocidad con que van creciendo los rascacielos, se olvida de que somos personas. Somos complejos y diversos, y aprendemos mejor mediante la estrategia de ensayo y error que a través de órdenes. Si cree que estoy equivocado, salga de su despacho y observe de cerca a la gente. Vea los pisos de protección oficial, paséese por las urbanizaciones, escuche las conversaciones de la gente en los puestos de comida. Comprobará que seguimos aferrados a las supersticiones y a las convicciones más viejas. Hace poco entré en unos baños públicos y me encontré con unas huellas de zapato, con restos de barro, en la taza del váter. Seguro que algún señor mayor, probablemente de la generación de mi padre, se había colocado en cuclillas sobre el inodoro. Las instrucciones que habían pegado en la puerta, con ilustraciones y todo, no habían bastado para hacerle entender que debía sentarse en la taza, no apoyar los zapatos sobre ella".
Amrit, Narain, Harbeer, Karam, Gurdev y aledaños son una familia sij procedente del Punjab que emigra a Singapur cuando éste todavía forma parte de Malasia. A lo largo de más de veinte años asistiremos a la evolución de la familia, que es también la evolución de un país en constante cambio, que destruye todo lo viejo para lucir siempre bello, moderno y espectacular. Esto tiene un coste humano muy alto, que los protagonistas pagan con su salud mental, alcohol, miedo a no ser socialmente perfectos y armarios profundos a los que no llega el aire. Cada cual se adapta como puede, el patriarca, Harbeer, lo hace escribiendo unos papeles que deja en el cajón. Son las nuevas generaciones las que sí podrán tomar las riendas de su vida, poner nombre y apellidos a lo que están pasando y buscar posibles soluciones. Las tres nietas de Harbeer son lo mejor de una novela que no acaba todo lo bien que apuntaba. El final es un poco anticlimático, pero algún final tenían que darle a esta pobre gente, que ya no podían sufrir más.
El legado es lo que deja a los que vienen detrás, que puede ser un aprendizaje fantástico o traumático.
"Quiero apoyar a Amrit porque sé lo que es que te definan por lo que no has logrado".
Amrit, Narain, Harbeer, Karam, Gurdev y aledaños son una familia sij procedente del Punjab que emigra a Singapur cuando éste todavía forma parte de Malasia. A lo largo de más de veinte años asistiremos a la evolución de la familia, que es también la evolución de un país en constante cambio, que destruye todo lo viejo para lucir siempre bello, moderno y espectacular. Esto tiene un coste humano muy alto, que los protagonistas pagan con su salud mental, alcohol, miedo a no ser socialmente perfectos y armarios profundos a los que no llega el aire. Cada cual se adapta como puede, el patriarca, Harbeer, lo hace escribiendo unos papeles que deja en el cajón. Son las nuevas generaciones las que sí podrán tomar las riendas de su vida, poner nombre y apellidos a lo que están pasando y buscar posibles soluciones. Las tres nietas de Harbeer son lo mejor de una novela que no acaba todo lo bien que apuntaba. El final es un poco anticlimático, pero algún final tenían que darle a esta pobre gente, que ya no podían sufrir más.
El legado es lo que deja a los que vienen detrás, que puede ser un aprendizaje fantástico o traumático.
"Quiero apoyar a Amrit porque sé lo que es que te definan por lo que no has logrado".
February 20, 2024
usually im pretty proud to be a hater, but i feel sort of bad about disliking this book bc it feels like im betraying my own damn country somehow
February 25, 2014
I finished this book in a day -- something I've never been able to do -- and I credit this achievement to the fact that it felt so personal, since I'm Sikh as well. It read like the story of someone a member of my family knows. At the same time, it could be the story of any Singaporean family grappling with rapid change between the 1970s and 1990s. But that's not to say that the challenges facing the Singh family are a thing of the past. Some of these issues, if not all, continue to plague us today. For example, I remember divorce being a taboo topic back in the early 1990s. Even though it's become much more common now, it is yet to be accepted.
This book needs a wider reach because it is an important contribution to literature on the Sikh diaspora in Singapore. Come to think of it, I had never heard of Inheritance until I chanced upon it in an independent bookshop in Singapore. But as a previous goodreads user said, the Sikh community might not fancy making it essential reading. The book may simply be dismissed as an exuberant flight of the author's imagination.
This book needs a wider reach because it is an important contribution to literature on the Sikh diaspora in Singapore. Come to think of it, I had never heard of Inheritance until I chanced upon it in an independent bookshop in Singapore. But as a previous goodreads user said, the Sikh community might not fancy making it essential reading. The book may simply be dismissed as an exuberant flight of the author's imagination.
September 28, 2017
The theme of mental illness never comes off well in mainstream fiction, and it was neither successfully applied nor discussed in Inheritance; I would prefer to go read The Casual Vacancy again, tbqh. Dreadful characters, a plot that stuttered along, and a twist at the end which, while surprising, who actually cares??
I came to this after reading Jaswal's third novel (absolutely brilliant, it's a must-read) and while I am glad to see that her writing ability has progressed, if I'd started with this one, I wouldn't have gotten to Erotic Stories, which would have been a real shame.
I came to this after reading Jaswal's third novel (absolutely brilliant, it's a must-read) and while I am glad to see that her writing ability has progressed, if I'd started with this one, I wouldn't have gotten to Erotic Stories, which would have been a real shame.
December 20, 2020
Book Title: Inheritance
Author: Balli Kaur Jaswal
Format: Kindle
My Thoughts:
Leading a life in a foreign land comes with many challenges.
Leading a teenage life without proper care comes with problems.
Leading a life with self-pity comes with personality woes.
Leading a life with unheard voices comes with mental health disorders.
Leading a life when one's own father treats his children as a curse comes with rebellious attitude development.
Each of the above-said statement is the description of the characters in the story.
The story is about the family that immigrated from India to Singapore at a time when the country they moved to was beginning to find itself, change its existence. With the rise of this new multi-cultural country, belonging to the community that always has eyes on you, is challenging. The family faces these all! When a person and the bunch of the members of the family are under vigilance by a mob of people, it gives unwanted pressure. Though the intention is good, going to the root level and dissecting every thread talks about personal liberty and freedom at stake. These struggles are very well articulated and shown in the book.
Author Balli Kaur hails from the country of Singapore in which the story is set, makes it easy for her readers to understand much about the country and its metamorphosis in her simple and engaging narration. She also stretches her writing in explaining the land rules and the difficulties faced by the people. There are also dark and raw things embedded in the story. The story also brings forth its readers the country and culture before India's Independence and also before Singapore became an Independent Country.
This is my first book by the author, and I am delighted to read her work. I look forward to reading more books from her.
What to expect from the story
Expect the unheard woes of a girl who is subjected to physical abuse.
Expect the delicate feelings unexplained from a person who identifies himself sexually-oriented in a different way.
Expect the story of a single father who tries to cope up in a foreign land with his children to meet the daily chores.
Expect a story that runs in two parallel storylines, one about the characters and other about the country which itself is also a character.
Who can read?
The book is targeted to the readers who understand what teenage life feels like; how various problems attack a person's psyche. The book also has matured elements that consist of abuse, gender orientation and mental diseases. Keeping in mind these factors, the book is not suitable for children below 14 years of age.
What is the storyline?
This book, ' Inheritance ' - by Balli Kaur Jaswal is a fictional story set in the country of Singapore between the 1970s - 1990s. The story is about a Sikh Punjabi family. In the story, the female child, Amrit, is the reflection of many unsaid feelings from a female's point of view. Her brother, Narain who goes to America for further studies is another reflection of the gender orientation and awareness that which was not existing much in those days in India or around the world also I can say. Many other characters make up a great part of the story.
Though the story dates back to decades back, the narration hooks up the readers to the book.
My take on the characters
A character can be a person, a thing or a place or so. A writer writes and builds a character that performs actions, takes forward the story and thus gives life to the story. Characters make stories. Without characters, there is no story to tell, no situations to imagine nor any scenery to describe. This prologue on characters is necessary here because Balli Kaur's characters in this book ' Inheritance ' are so very important that not even a page can be thought without the characters. Usually, there will be central and side characters in a book. But here, all of them are the central characters. Because the story is conveyed from every one of them. Be it Amrit, or Narain or Gurudev or Kiran. Every character is given ample amounts of scope, strength and timing.
How good is the author's writing style
This is my first book from the author, and I shall admit her simple yet strong writing has opened new avenues in my thought-process. As I am unaware of the Punjabi lifestyle, their family structure and the tradition, I am even unaware about life, and it's a metamorphosis in the Singapore country. In this book, with an intriguing narration author, Balli Kaur introduced me to a new horizon of Indians living in a foreign country. As the story is set up in the 70s era, the nativity and the flavour of the then life is projected interestingly. Easy langue and good vocabulary added more beauty to the writing. The taboos and the unheard difficulties faced by teenagers and young adults are very intrinsically explained in a universally acceptable language.
How entertaining is the book?
The story has intense emotions, interesting drama and a parallel story of a country's development. There are many places where a wow factor, a sorry feeling and shocking interpretations of incidents attract the readers. The book is a perfect blend of feelings and events and thus makes it a good entertainer.
Final Verdict
A story that explores life beyond imagination!
Rating:
3/5
Author: Balli Kaur Jaswal
Format: Kindle
My Thoughts:
Leading a life in a foreign land comes with many challenges.
Leading a teenage life without proper care comes with problems.
Leading a life with self-pity comes with personality woes.
Leading a life with unheard voices comes with mental health disorders.
Leading a life when one's own father treats his children as a curse comes with rebellious attitude development.
Each of the above-said statement is the description of the characters in the story.
The story is about the family that immigrated from India to Singapore at a time when the country they moved to was beginning to find itself, change its existence. With the rise of this new multi-cultural country, belonging to the community that always has eyes on you, is challenging. The family faces these all! When a person and the bunch of the members of the family are under vigilance by a mob of people, it gives unwanted pressure. Though the intention is good, going to the root level and dissecting every thread talks about personal liberty and freedom at stake. These struggles are very well articulated and shown in the book.
Author Balli Kaur hails from the country of Singapore in which the story is set, makes it easy for her readers to understand much about the country and its metamorphosis in her simple and engaging narration. She also stretches her writing in explaining the land rules and the difficulties faced by the people. There are also dark and raw things embedded in the story. The story also brings forth its readers the country and culture before India's Independence and also before Singapore became an Independent Country.
This is my first book by the author, and I am delighted to read her work. I look forward to reading more books from her.
What to expect from the story
Expect the unheard woes of a girl who is subjected to physical abuse.
Expect the delicate feelings unexplained from a person who identifies himself sexually-oriented in a different way.
Expect the story of a single father who tries to cope up in a foreign land with his children to meet the daily chores.
Expect a story that runs in two parallel storylines, one about the characters and other about the country which itself is also a character.
Who can read?
The book is targeted to the readers who understand what teenage life feels like; how various problems attack a person's psyche. The book also has matured elements that consist of abuse, gender orientation and mental diseases. Keeping in mind these factors, the book is not suitable for children below 14 years of age.
What is the storyline?
This book, ' Inheritance ' - by Balli Kaur Jaswal is a fictional story set in the country of Singapore between the 1970s - 1990s. The story is about a Sikh Punjabi family. In the story, the female child, Amrit, is the reflection of many unsaid feelings from a female's point of view. Her brother, Narain who goes to America for further studies is another reflection of the gender orientation and awareness that which was not existing much in those days in India or around the world also I can say. Many other characters make up a great part of the story.
Though the story dates back to decades back, the narration hooks up the readers to the book.
My take on the characters
A character can be a person, a thing or a place or so. A writer writes and builds a character that performs actions, takes forward the story and thus gives life to the story. Characters make stories. Without characters, there is no story to tell, no situations to imagine nor any scenery to describe. This prologue on characters is necessary here because Balli Kaur's characters in this book ' Inheritance ' are so very important that not even a page can be thought without the characters. Usually, there will be central and side characters in a book. But here, all of them are the central characters. Because the story is conveyed from every one of them. Be it Amrit, or Narain or Gurudev or Kiran. Every character is given ample amounts of scope, strength and timing.
How good is the author's writing style
This is my first book from the author, and I shall admit her simple yet strong writing has opened new avenues in my thought-process. As I am unaware of the Punjabi lifestyle, their family structure and the tradition, I am even unaware about life, and it's a metamorphosis in the Singapore country. In this book, with an intriguing narration author, Balli Kaur introduced me to a new horizon of Indians living in a foreign country. As the story is set up in the 70s era, the nativity and the flavour of the then life is projected interestingly. Easy langue and good vocabulary added more beauty to the writing. The taboos and the unheard difficulties faced by teenagers and young adults are very intrinsically explained in a universally acceptable language.
How entertaining is the book?
The story has intense emotions, interesting drama and a parallel story of a country's development. There are many places where a wow factor, a sorry feeling and shocking interpretations of incidents attract the readers. The book is a perfect blend of feelings and events and thus makes it a good entertainer.
Final Verdict
A story that explores life beyond imagination!
Rating:
3/5
Displaying 1 - 29 of 175 reviews