Book Review: The Far Field

Hello friends. I have another book review for you, so I hope you are ready! The book review is about a novel entitled The Far Field, written by first-time author Madhuri Vijay. The novel was published in 2019. I stumbled onto it in the new releases section of my local library, and scooped it up. Isn’t the cover beautiful? You can buy the book here: The Far Field 

The South Asian adult fiction novel centers around the main character Shalini, a well-off young woman from Bangalore adrift after the death of her mother. Coupling elegant literary prose with a socio-political scope through the eyes of native Himalayan Kashmiris, the novel follows a complicated view of the Indian subcontinent as Shalini heals from her grief, and rangles with her uncertain present. Shalini travels to Kashmir to find Bashir Ahmed, an old friend of her mother’s. She feels certain that Bashir Ahmed’s disappearance from her mother’s life was somehow connected to her death. The cause of her mother’s death is not revealed until the end, creating an element of surprise. The rest I will leave for you to read and find out. 

The novel was a slower read for me, and I almost lost interest in the beginning, but I am glad I didn’t stop reading, because eventually I was drawn in and hooked to Shalini’s fate. I took each step with her. I also think the The Far Field was constructed with the intention of it being savored. The visual imagery and slow moving plot allowed me to put the book down and pick it up over a couple of weeks, versus devouring its contents in a few days. And while there is excitement in books with a hot moving plot that rope you in, there is a silky-smooth charm in slower, literary novels like The Far Field.

The main character loved to teach. She taught students with cerebral palsy in Bangalore, and then taught a bright young girl in Kashmir. This said, it would have been nice to have an ending where maybe Shalini began teaching again, or even assisting. The ending left me somewhat dissatisfied because it wasn’t exactly a happy one, but it made me realize my own tendency to expect happy endings in books. If stories imitate life, then I think as readers we need to shift our expectations in a more realistic direction. Would you agree?

Goodreads gave The Far Field 3.84 stars out of five, but I give it a solid 4 stars, especially because it was Madhuri Vijay’s first book. If you are looking for an enjoyable read on your nightstand, or while taking a trip, give this one a go. It will not disappoint.

What did you think of this book review of The Far Field? Have you read The Far Field, and if so what did you think of it? Have you read any other good books lately? Do tell, I would love to know.

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