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There was no system to soothe the unfairness of things; justice was without scope; it might snag the stealer of chickens, but great evasive crimes would have to be dismissed because, if identified and netted, they would bring down the entire structure of so-called civilization. For crimes that took place in the monstrous dealings between nations, for crimes that took place in those intimate spaces between two people without a witness, for these crimes the guilty would never pay. There was no religion and no government that would relieve the hell.
- Kiran Desai; The Inheritance of Loss (2006), p. 200
Walking in molasses may be a swifter journey than reading this book. One of the few fiction books I tried to read recently and what a loss of time that was! I am still apologising to my sister for wasting time and money on sending it to me.
Shefaly
8 Apr 08 at 7:26 pm
I needed a translator to understand this paragraph. That is, after spending 15 minutes trying to comprehend it on my own!
BTW, When are you heading back to India? Or you are also glad to an NRI (Non Returning Indian)?
Suda
9 Apr 08 at 2:39 am
@Shefaly,
I read this book recently and after hours of wasting time on it, am left with nothing but a question. Why? why did I ever start reading it.
Xylene
9 Apr 08 at 7:04 am
The para seems to be impenetrable at first but after five minutes of grappling, I was able to comprehend it. I wonder how much time you took to finish the book.
Anand
9 Apr 08 at 9:15 am
Shefaly- I’ve read lots of reviews on Amazon that say that it is a difficult book to read and that the characters are flat. Even then, I picked up this book and I’m glad I did. Funnily, I’m really enjoying this book - probably because I can understand the local culture of the North Eastern and the Eastern region very well. I think Desai has done a very good job in bringing out the intricacies of human feelings, without attaching too much melodrama to everything. Her writing style is quite different, yes.
Suda- Haha
Well…this must be the first time that I’ve made a post only out of a quote, but I think that quote speaks volumes. It speaks about the injustice that’s meted out by the judiciary and how lesser crimes are punished, whereas the larger crimes go unnoticed. 
And no, not heading back anytime soon. Maybe sometime in the future. I don’t know.
Xylene-
Don’t know what to say. I started reading it on Saturday evening and it’ Tuesday morning here and I’m almost done with the entire book.
Anand- I started reading the book on Saturday and I’m almost done with it. It’s Tuesday morning here. Her writing style is a little different and once you get adjusted to it, there is no problem.
I really liked this book.
Ruhi
9 Apr 08 at 9:55 am
I bought it a few days back and have not started it yet. I was about to cry after reading the comments when suddenly *Ruhi* saved the day by saying something positive.
I am on the verge of finishing *The Kite Runner*. Its beautiful!!!
Amit
10 Apr 08 at 1:44 pm
@ Amit:
I really liked the book Amit. I’m not sure if we have similar tastes though. Even I was very discouraged after reading (and hearing) all kinds of negative reviews since the past year or so. So, I decided to take the plunge and just read it! You can never trust someone else’s opinion when it comes to books. That’s what I’ve realized. You never know what you’ll like.
I read Kite Runner last year on my flight back here. It was a very light and pleasant read. I didn’t know anything much about Afghanisthan. It was a pleasure learning about their culture and some other nuances. I haven’t watched the movie though. I’m not sure if the movie will do the book any justice.
Reading The Stranger by Albert Camus now. Have you read it? It’s a very small book. My copy of Unaccustomed Earth has not yet arrived. I’m waiting for it. Else I’ll start with American Pastoral by Philip Roth next. It won the Pulitzer in 1997.
Ruhi
11 Apr 08 at 4:13 pm
@Ruhi : Whenever I buy a book I just make sure that it must be either an International bestseller of have won some prize atleast. That is the only criteria. Other opinions don’t matter to me.
I have not read The Stranger yet. I just want to read something very light as the Kite Runner has left me really disturbed. I am just so thankful for the kind of world I am living in. I don’t remember the number of times I had a lump in my throat while I read it.
So…….I might be starting “P.S. I love you” to get away from the reality.
Amit
11 Apr 08 at 9:22 pm
And…why is there no title for this post? Its so funny to see the latest comments.
It says : Amit on -
Amit
11 Apr 08 at 9:25 pm
I didn’t know what title to put
So I just left it blank. And yes, building up a reading list after taking a look at the Prize Winners is always a good idea. 
This is what I generally do. But there are some books on the Winners list that I didn’t enjoy and there are some more that are equally prize worthy, but didn’t win anything!
I like reading reviews on different blogs though (just for time pass). Have you read A Suitable Boy? I wanted to pick it up yesterday, but didn’t have the courage after seeing the volume (some 14000 pages). The last book that I read that was this long was Atlas Shrugged.
Kite Runner is quite heavy, I agree. P.S I love You is the book on which the new movie has been made?
Btw, how many books do you manage to read every month?
Ruhi
11 Apr 08 at 9:51 pm
I didn’t picked up A Suitable Boy for exactly the same reason. I thought if I pick it up, i’ll get a fracture in my hand.
There was another book I read sometime back…Cryptonomicon. It was so boring and so huge that I read it really fast to finish it off. It was quite an effort.
Yes there is a movie on P.S. I love you. Dunno how it is.
Earlier I used to read a lot but the count has dropped lately.
According to the last statistics, I have read 102 books in the past 2.5 years. I don’t know if its good or bad.
Amit
11 Apr 08 at 10:05 pm
@ Amit:
Fracturing your hand is quite possible. I don’t see myself sleeping on my back and balancing such a heavy book. Cryptonomicon? Is it a science fiction?
My book reading has also become quite slow…how I wish I could lie in bed all day and just read books. Best possible life.
Ruhi
12 Apr 08 at 1:10 am
I can’t help but notice and say that this quote pretty much relates to what happens here in India.
amon.by.the.sea
14 Apr 08 at 1:09 am
Ruhi,
I have to read this book still… And Amsterdam was so good!!! Thanks a ton for that!
You seem busy nowadays?
http://mirrorcracked.wordpress.com
yaake
15 Apr 08 at 1:01 am
I don’t even remember what “Cryptonomicon” was all about. There were some three parallel stories about a group of soldiers in WW2, trying to decode some messages. Then a huge chunk of the story was inside a submarine. I am already feeling sleepy. ZZZZZ
Oh yes, reading books, watching movies and eating mummy made food…all this seems like a lost dream…
Amit
15 Apr 08 at 1:41 am
Amon.by.the.sea- True; in fact, that is exactly what I was thinking about when I was reading that particular paragraph.
Yaake- Not many people liked this book.
Tread carefully. Glad that you enjoyed Amsterdam! I thought you would. Yes, I’m quite busy these days, unfortunately. Blogging time is extremely rationed!
Amit- Wow! Sounds cool. Anything to do with WW-II interests me a lot. The name is quite sci-fi-ish though.
Ruhi
15 Apr 08 at 8:17 pm