One Amazing Thing
by Chitra Banerjee Diakaruni
An earthquake brings
together a wide range of characters in an Indian visa and passport
office, characters who otherwise would have only had perhaps a fleeting
moment of connection. trapped together, they fight to
survive. Various racial and ethnic groups are brought together,
including an upper class Caucasian couple, a Muslim-American man, and
African-American and a Chinese grandmother. The make-up of
the cast of characters appears a little contrived on the surface as if
made for popular consumption but this lessens as the author delves more
into the individual characters themselves. The earthquake
highlights the struggles of each individual whether it be matters of
love or cultural identity. As time seems to be running out and
panic sets in, the trapped tell each other a story, a story that
somehow captures a moment and brings them closer to themselves and each
other. The power of storytelling transcends the present moment
and yet makes it all the more present and vital.
ONE AMAZING THING
combines suspenseful action with a spiritual insight into matters of
life and death. As the characters fight for survival, their
passion for living and the crushing disappointments of their lives all
come into play. In an easy-to-read light yet poetic prose, Chitra
Banerjee Divakaruni's words flow with a simplicity that gets to the
heart of the issues while leaving enough unsaid to allow the reader's
imagination to enter the story. While one scene flows naturally
to the next, the chapter and sub-chapter divisons within the
narrative seem to work at odds with the natural flow of the
story. The breaks do not always correspond to the speaking voice
or to specific events. Quite frankly, the text flows smoothly
without all these divisions on account of the author's skill so that at
times the divisions seem superfluous or stop the smooth flow that would
exist without them. The ending might not satisfy readers who
prefer all questions resolved at the end, especially since the
suspenseful plot drives forward towards the end, and yet others, like
myself, might find the ending a most satisfying ending all the more so
because it respects the almost mystical, spiritual dimension of life
opened up by the characters' stories.
ONE AMAZING THING
keeps a reader glued to the pages, anxious to find out the fate of the
characters but also wanting to never quite reach the ending in hopes of
witnessing more revelations in the intimate look into the characters'
hearts. ONE AMAZING THING is not a disaster survival book laden
with physical how-to details nor are the fleeting portraits heavy in
psychological detail. Rather, ONE
AMAZING THING, like the moment it portrays, is a quick glance at
a moment in time, a moment marked by points of spiritual and emotional
conflict as the characters struggle to survive. Easily read
within one sitting, the narrative satisfies a desire for a light read
that nevertheless touches spirituality or something beyond the everyday
reality, a spirituality that is not overly preachy or defined by
division. Part of the charm of this story resides in the empty
spaces and details that the author leaves up to the imagination of the
reader.
Publisher:
Voice (February 2, 2010)
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Merrimon Book Reviews
Review Courtesy of Amazon Vine
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