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Everything Was Goodbye (2000)

by Gurjinder Basran(Favorite Author)

3.81 of 5 Votes: 4

languge

English

genre

review 1: The reviews are not wrong, this is a good book in some ways and certainly had the potential to be great. But I also think it is being reviewed based on what it could have been. I think readers all want to love this woman, and to get inside her story and understand her background and her life. I SO wanted to love this book, but I was disappointed. Part of the reason this is such a popular book is that we have the last generation's stories of coming to Canada and home, but what we need and want are the stories of the next generation who grew up the children of immigrants and were caught between the two worlds. This starts out to be that book but lets us down by never getting beyond a shallow look at what is a complex and varied experience. Meena understandably has mixed feel... moreings about her heritage, her family and her mother, but the reader is not let into her head to understand this more. Neither do we gain an understanding of her motivations and at times surprising actions. We never feel connected to her.I wanted this book to do more than scratch the surface, and to do more than take us along on what seems to be an inevitable journey. The secondary characters are flat. And the story seems to be that no one in the Sihk community in Vancouver can find love or happiness. There is no kindness between the characters and in the end the book seems like a vengeful memoir-based story that takes the reader hurtling through the unavoidable and unsatisfying events Meena's life.
review 2: This was a good story. Although I think it is intended to describe the conflict between Western and Eastern cultures and beliefs, the basic plot can happen to anyone. The hardships endured and decisions we face can be difficult, and it doesn't matter if we are sharing these choices with people who are of the same race or religion. In this book we see how a woman from an Indian family tries to live in Canada while being exposed to "white" people. The family tries to keep it's customs in a society that does not always easily permit it. However, I think Meena's life exemplifies core values and beliefs that anyone can feel connected to. less

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