A Breath of Fresh Air
Page 18
IS: What about that other unspoken rule in Indian society that a woman must be dependant only on her son, not her daughter? Anjali’s mother talks of this briefly when she worries about the possible consequences of her father’s heart attack. What typically happens to women who have only daughters?
AM: In Telugu we say “adapilla” for girl; where “ada” means “theirs” and “pilla” means “girl.” In defining a girl, the language-makers set the standard. The girl never belongs to her parents, always to her in-laws. Several parents and daughters I know would scoff at this unsaid rule, but I know many tradionalists who would think it wrong to rely on a daughter for financial support of any kind.
Women who have only daughters find themselves alone or they find a home with a brother or some other male relative. I also know several older women who make a home with their daughters and son-in-laws. But Anjali’s parents are quite conservative and would stick to the old traditions and not feel comfortable living with her in their old age.
Did you feel that this was too much like a Hindi movie? Or does this fit with your image of India as well?
IS: (laughs) Well, yes, like a Hindi movie, but that’s just an over-dramatization of real life, isn’t it? I think this is true, still true for many people.
For me, one of the most uplifting moments in the book was on page 174 when Anjali and Indira meet in the bazaar. Why does Indira think it necessary to apologize for her husband’s behavior? And why does Anjali respond to this apology?
AM: I am so glad you liked that scene. It is my favorite scene as well, but before you no one seemed to notice it specifically.
Indira is a little rattled after hearing her husband’s confession. He’s a cheat and he did Anjali wrong. And when Indira sees Anjali, she feels the need to wipe away some of Prakash’s sins and is compelled to apologize. As a woman she also feels terrible for what Anjali went through and wants to show that she understands.
That apology leaves Anjali happy. Not because she’s been waiting for her first husband’s second wife to apologize to her, but because it makes it clear to her that divorcing Prakash despite social pressure was the right thing to do. From the first time she sees Prakash and Indira, she wonders if Indira is living the life promised to Anjali. But after the meeting in the bazaar Anjali realizes she doesn’t want Indira’s life; she doesn’t want a husband who she needs to apologize for.
IS: Who is your favorite character in the book, and why? I know authors get asked this question and it’s very difficult to choose, but I’d still like to know! Mine is Indira; I think for all her flaws, she is endearing, for she knows how to forgive.
AM: Hard to say, I do like all of them; everyone, including Komal and Anjali’s parents. They are all doing what they believe in and living their lives as prescribed by society to them. But . . . since you ask, I think I have to go with Indira and Harjot. I like it that Indira has balls, so to speak, and she knows her mind. Harjot appeals to me because she’s such a budding feminist and I like seeing that in Indian women.
IS: I know that there’s no magic formula to creating a novel and that every writer works at her own pace, in her own voice and style, and obeys her own discipline. And yet, it gives a struggling, fledgling writer heart to know how an established writer works . . . so what is your typical writing day like? Do you write everyday or only when you are working on a novel?
AM: I have no ground rules; I go against all the books there are about writing everyday at the same time in a disciplined fashion. I write when I need to and that makes every writing day unique. Sometimes I write during the day when my son is away at daycare; other days I write at night after everyone goes to sleep. On some weekends I kick my husband and son out of the house and get a few hours. For me it is all about: How badly do I need to write? Some days the need is very intense and other days I’d rather read a book or worse, sit and watch television. If I didn’t have the writing demon sitting on my head at all times, I probably would never finish a book.
Reading Group Questions and Topics for Discussion
Amulya Malladi chose to use the Bhopal gas leak of 1984, which killed 3,800 people and permanently disabled thousands more, as the key event within A Breath of Fresh Air. Given the license of a fiction writer to invent tragedy, why would an author like Malladi decide to use a real event instead?
Does the reality behind such an event enhance or distract from the fictional story?
Do you, as the reader, hold the author to different standards of verisimilitude when such an event appears in a novel?
What is the effect of starting the novel with this terrifying event?
How does Anjali’s role as the victim of such a tragedy change her life in subtle, unexpected ways (in addition to the major changes she experiences)?
What is the meaning behind the title, beyond the obvious allusion to the gas leak?
Malladi narrates her novel through three voices: those of Anjali, Sandeep, and Prakash. Why might she have made this decision as an author? What are some of the inherent benefits and risks of such a choice?
Do you, as the reader, find the voice of each different character convincing? Why or why not?
Think of another novel in which the author engages more than one narrative voice. In comparison to A Breath of Fresh Air, how does the author distinguish the different voices from one another, and do you find it as effective, less effective, or more effective?
Given that the author grants more space to Anjali’s voice than to the voices of Prakash and Sandeep, did you find Anjali’s way of telling the story to be the most sympathetic? Or did you want to hear more from either or both of the other two?
After the three major characters, which minor character did you find most crucial to the story’s central conflicts? Why?
How did Anjali, Sandeep, and Prakash either maintain or subvert traditional gender roles within modern Indian society?
What is the role of fantasy within the context of an arranged marriage such as Anjali’s to Prakash? Once her fantasies are inverted, how do they continue to play a role in Anjali’s life?
How does materialism affect each main character, and how does the author show its presence?
What is the range of emotions Anjali experiences after Prakash returns to her life, and how does the author illustrate each of these emotions?
Amulya Malladi has a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s degree in journalism. Born and raised in India, she lived in the United States for several years before moving to Denmark, where she now lives on the island of Mors with her husband and young son. You can contact her at www.amulyamalladi.com.
Look for Amulya Malladi’s lushly written new novel, in which a young woman must decide whether to follow her heart or tradition.
When twenty-seven-year-old Priya leaves her home in Silicon Valley to visit her family in India, she carries with her a secret: she has fallen in love with—and is planning to marry—an American man. But soon after her arrival in her native land, Priya learns that her mother and father have chosen a husband for her in a traditional arranged marriage. Priya’s world is instantly thrown into chaos as she must reconcile her passions and her parents’ wishes.
Malladi has captured a young woman’s struggle to please her family, honor her past, and follow her feelings with beautiful language and stunning scenery. The Mango Season is a trip into the heart and soul of contemporary India.
“[Malladi’s] words effortlessly transform themselves into art with pitch-perfect prose fed by an observant eye and a warm heart.” –Laura Pedersen, author of Beginner’s Luck
Published by Ballantine Books. Available wherever books are sold.
A Breath of Fresh Air is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
A Ballantine Book Published by The Random House Publishing Group
Copyright © 2002 by Amulya Malladi
Reader’s Guide copyright © 2003 by Am
ulya Malladi and The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.
Ballantine and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc. Ballantine Reader’s Circle and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2003090475
eISBN : 978-0-307-41437-3
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