Saree - Book Review

Title: Saree

Author: Su Dharmatala

Pages: 560

Genre: Fiction

Rating: 4/5

Six Lives, six loves and a precious cloth that binds them together

I had been eyeing this book for about a year now. It just needed it's name to grab my attention and since then, I had been asking every book store that I walk into for this book. Sadly, none had and finally, a month back, I placed my order for this book through Amazon.

I was so excited to get the book that I didn't wait to start reading it. The book is divided into five parts - The Knot, The First Drape, The Pleats, The Second Drape, The Fall, and The Finishing - and spread across Sri Lanka, India and Melbourne. The hero of the book is definitely a saree, described so beautifully that I wished I could see that beautiful piece in real life. The book is exactly what the blurb suggests - from the lush beauty of Sri Lanka, ravaged by bloody civil war, to mystical India and finally its eventual resting place in Australia, this is the story of one precious piece of cloth and the lives it changes.

The first part is well written, held my attention and I delved deep into the book. I loved how the whole story line was described and the weaving process - especially that! Everything about the first part was perfect. However, I felt, this set a high expectation for me for the rest of the book which, sadly, the book didn't meet at times. Especially certain parts which was written in the the slang the character speaks, which felt quite awkward to read. 

Except for the few parts in the middle, I loved the beginning and end. It's not that I didn't like the chapters in the middle, I just felt that it could have been better to capture the attention of the reader better. After a fast paced first part, the book felt dry at places before picking pace towards the end. The end was totally unrealistic, or rather the book felt unrealistic at quite a few places. But that said, I loved the book. I might be partial here, although, because of my love for sarees. Yet, this was a wonderful read and definitely one for your library.

P.s: Click on the image below to buy the book.