Kind of like real life, happiness is only a temporary state but sadness is forever. The author does a really good job at detailing the horrific events of , a year that is blacked out by the Sikh community as a year of death. She writes about the fear and tragedy among the innocent people killed in the invasion of the Golden temple and also the subsequent riots that occurred after the Indian prime minister was gunned down in retailation to that invasion.
The scenes of the riots where thousands of innocent Sikh men and women were brutally murdered, raped and maimed was written really well by the author I felt. She really got down to the grittiness of the event like describing how someones scalp and eyes melted when the psychopaths threw a tire around their neck and burned them alive. These events all happened and the people who did it are still out there enjoying life while those killed and their family members are left in the dust.
Interestingly a lot of notable Bollywood stars, one in particular, was found to be rallying up people to rape and kill people yet he's still allowed to host game shows, so there's that. Overall the book was a great read but one of the things that didn't make it a perfect 5 for me is that there were a lot of parts in the book that were slow and honestly felt like filler.
I would still recommend it though! A fictional novel steeped with the political and violent history of Punjab and the war fare that resulted between Sikh and Hindu peoples.
Three women's lives, their husbands and families, their memories their homes, their fates. Very powerfully told and brought closer to home with the lives of two of them residing in Vancouver. I recall going to church one morning while visiting my parents in my hometown and hearing the Priest in his prayers plea for the souls of the people aboard Air India A fictional novel steeped with the political and violent history of Punjab and the war fare that resulted between Sikh and Hindu peoples.
I recall going to church one morning while visiting my parents in my hometown and hearing the Priest in his prayers plea for the souls of the people aboard Air India flight which had crashed off the coast of Ireland. I had just flown from Toronto to Alberta with my wife and two daughters, the tragedy hit close to home despite no connections. The twenty year investigation and lack of evidence to convict two people accused has always left an unanswered question for me.
Having said all that, I ask myself how I could have been so unaware of the huge conflicts in India and Pakistan. Even the assassination of Indira Ghandi with 22 bullets failed to stir me to try to understand this horrendous tragedy. Once again as in Northern Ireland, the British finger was involved, drawing lines on maps and quite possibly creating this mess. Sep 12, Luce Cronin rated it it was amazing Shelves: immigrant-experience.
Just finished reading this novel , by Anita Rau Badami, one of my favourite authors. I picked it up because it was the only novel of hers that I had not read, but it turned out be a very timely read that made me reflect further on many questions of immigration.
This is a powerful novel that explores the Hindu and Sikh violence in the early 80's involving the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the formation of the Sikh separatist movement of Khalistan, and the downing of Air India flight The im Just finished reading this novel , by Anita Rau Badami, one of my favourite authors. The immigrant experience viewed through the eyes of 3 women, 2 of which immigrate to Canada, one of which stays in India, brings its reality close to the reader's heart.
Immigration now always seems to be linked with violence of some sort, whether it is open conflict, or the more subtle conflict, at times, of racism - this experience always seems to be a highly emotional one. This novel is a very powerful one in the sense that it gives you the opportunity to examine all aspects, all points of view.
Aug 05, Crabbygirl rated it liked it. Aug 19, Arshi rated it it was amazing. I was very skeptical when I initially picked up this book. What insight can a South Indian Hindu author provide to one of the most tumultuous centuries in Sikh history? I am ashamed of that sentiment, I now freely admit, because Badami has captured the soul of Punjab and Punjabi NRIs in this beautifully crafted story.
She weaves masterfully the tales of 3 Indian women and their families. She tactfully addresses what partition meant for Sikhs, caught in between a religious divide between two behe I was very skeptical when I initially picked up this book. She tactfully addresses what partition meant for Sikhs, caught in between a religious divide between two behemoths: India and Pakistan.
She deftly approaches the impending calamity that awaits Amritsari and Delhi Sikhs and the fallout. It was an emotional read and one that had me awake late at night, unable and unwilling to put it down. A page turner that will sweep you away. Badami is a master crafts person and when you put this book down it will continue to reverberate in your mind.
Oct 28, Avery rated it really liked it. Can you hear the Nightbird call? It gave me a new perspective on life in Punjab and the religions found there. I learned of the atrocities committed on all sides during the partition and the Indira Ghandi gouvernement.
Is haunting, eye-opening and will break Can you hear the Nightbird call? Is haunting, eye-opening and will break your heart. Oct 17, Katie rated it really liked it Shelves: on-my-bookshelf , for-class. Here's the thing. I loved the progression that the plot went.
The first half was so, so boring. I was supposed to have this book read for class two weeks ago and I was slugging my way through the first half for almost a month before, last night, getting to the midpoint and reading the rest all in one sitting. Anyway, now that it has been read, I really loved it, but I can't give it a perfect score because of Here's the thing. Anyway, now that it has been read, I really loved it, but I can't give it a perfect score because of the experience I had reading the first half.
And, of course, a lot of that was on me-- I haven't read many books including Indian places and names and it took me a while to figure out who everyone was and how they were related to each other and where they all lived.
Mar 30, Tanya Bellehumeur-Allatt rated it really liked it. I loved this book. Badami has a beautiful way of moving between different points of view and creating empathy for her deeply flawed and complex characters.
By the last third of the book, I could not put it down. This book provides an immersive reading experience, plunging the reader into Delhi, Vancouver and the Punjab. I loved it for that. I must warn you, though: prepare to have your heart broken. Bad things happen in this book, as the title warns. At one point, I didn't think my heart could I loved this book.
At one point, I didn't think my heart could take much more hardship, but I knew more was coming If you are looking for a deeply readable, enjoyable book that is finely crafted, this is one I highly recommend. Badami writes with elegance, ease, and a deep knowing of the human spirit. What an emotional roller coaster of a book! It was very good, but very hard to read near the end and quite depressing. I didn't know much about Indian history before, so a lot of this was new to me - I didn't know that there was a lot of violence that accompanied Partition, nor did I know that there was conflict between the Hindus and the Sikhs.
This book was a real eye opener for me. Badami is a great writer, and she does an excellent job of creating realistic characters and crafting a fascinat What an emotional roller coaster of a book! Badami is a great writer, and she does an excellent job of creating realistic characters and crafting a fascinating world. I loved it, until near the end, when I could barely bear to read it. Oct 11, S. Savage rated it really liked it. As a Canadian, I am ashamed to say that it took me reading this book to know anything about the greatest terror attack in Canada's history.
I also didn't know anything about Kagoamata Maru or the Sikh massacre in India. First off, this is a fantastic novel, it is a case study on various aspects of diaspora and it teaches very important lessons about important historical events and tragedies that have often been overlooked or "swept under the rug" by governments.
Read this book if you are Canadia As a Canadian, I am ashamed to say that it took me reading this book to know anything about the greatest terror attack in Canada's history. Read this book if you are Canadian or Indian. Read it even if you aren't. Jun 01, Coneill rated it it was amazing. Another great book by Anita Rau Badami. Like others, I was aware of events such as the Air India crash and its long drawn out aftermath but was really ignorant about what was going on to lead up to this tragedy.
Badami is so good at creating deep and complex characters, that, no matter what culture, you can relate to these people. The story she writes is compelling and I have to admit, made me c Another great book by Anita Rau Badami. The story she writes is compelling and I have to admit, made me cry more than once.
One of my favourite authors for sure. Jan 28, Carol rated it really liked it. Indira Ghandi was shot 2days after the birth of my first daughter. I remember being shaken.
In there were not many female leaders of countries. Amritsar was a horrible disaster. Air India flight Can You Hear the Nightbird Call? In June , just as political tensions within India begin to spiral out of control, Bibi-ji and Pa-ji decide to make their annual pilgrimage to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the holiest of Sikh shrines.
While they are there, the temple is stormed by Indian government troops attempting to contain Sikh extremists hiding inside the temple compound. The results are devastating. Then, in October of the same year, Indira Gandhi is murdered by her two Sikh bodyguards, an act of vengeance for the assault on the temple. The assassination sets off a wave of violence against innocent Sikhs.
The tide of anger and violence spills across borders and floods into distant Canada, and into the lives of neighbours Bibi-ji and Leela.
The originality of Badami's new novel does not reside in her portrayal of the horrific actions surrounding the political tensions in India, which in many ways echo Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance; the uniqueness of her story dwells in her focus on the effects of the events on Indian families in Canada.
In writing from this angle, Badami not only positions herself as an author interested in the narratives Use this link to get back to this page. Can You Hear the Nightbird Call? Author: Veronique Dorais. Date: Summer Publisher: Canadian Ethnic Studies Association.
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