Reading the Chunksters discussion

I was surprised about a lot of things at the end.

1. Family planning: I had a feeling that it would come into play at some point but I was still surprised by the brutal and visceral way it was wielded. I had to put the book down here, it was tough. In the end, it didn't accomplish what it was intended to do, which I believe was to break the spirit of Om and Ishvar. At the end of the book they adapt, in some odd way.

2. Maneck: I had the feeling that he wasn't fitting in but I thought that he would overcome his thing or adapt to the world that he lived in at some point. I believe the death of Avinash's sisters and the outcome of family planning was the last straw for him.

I found the meeting between Maneck and his mother sad also. She knew that something was wrong. She tried to reach out and let him know that what he was thinking was wrong and that both she and his father were proud of him. It's sad that that didn't get through.

In the end, the family was still strong. Still laughing and enjoying each other through the brutality of their lives.

From Valmnick to Dina:

“After all, our lives are but a sequence of accidents – a clanking chain of chance events. A string of choices, casual or deliberate, which add up to that one big calamity we call life.”


------
I actually finished it in June, I just couldn't put it down. I've been re-reading a bit of it since then. The book ended strong for me.

GAHHHHH! I was so disappointed with the end. All through the book, the author made a point to mention the fine balance between hope and despair and then wrote Maneck's finish. Did Maneck have such a desperate need that his friends have the happy ending that he wanted for them? Om and Ishvar were devastated, but they adapted just as Mekki mentioned above. I did not see that desperation in Maneck. He was upset by his father's death and lost chances, but he couldn't have saved Avinash or his sisters. I think that is what happened with Maneck. It was out of his control. He couldn't help anyone and he was a very kindhearted person. He is the one who influenced the change in Dina. It left me heartbroken.

Final words. Someone posted this quote and I thought it very relevant to this book and our discussion.

THE END OF IRONY
It's ironic, isn't it?
How hope keeps us breathing
Just to kill us in the end.
Nicole Lyons

I also want to know if Shankar was deliberately deformed just as the Monkeyman claimed BeggarMaster twisted the spines of the children. I thought it was odd that the child was taken from his mother and not given back to her. The whole book was one injustice after another. Is there any hope for India's poor and neglected?

yes, I believe that beggarmaster "created" some of his beggars. It seems to be alluded to. I was wondering if someone was going to comment on that.

when I was younger I saw a TV special about India and it mentioned something like that. Of course it was later denied by the Indian government.

I think the Author wanted to give the impression that some lose their balance. Hence he added Maneck.

Lorna wrote: "I think their was such a big contrast between Dina and Maneck
Dina-Learned and changed so much, having such prejudice against other groups then treating the tailor at the end like family
Maneck- Ki..."

It was a very depressing book. I'm glad I read it, but even thinking of it at this very moment gives me a sense of despair. And then I think of Om and how his past and future were stolen from him, but then still being playful with his uncle. Human resiliency just amazes me.

I can't wait for the next one.