China Room
- Downloads：9602
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-11 09:51:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sunjeev Sahota
- ISBN：0593298144
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
"The follow-up to his Booker Prize-shortlisted The Runaways， Sunjeev Sahota's new novel follows characters across generations and continents （from Punjab to rural England） and is equally heart-wrenching。" --Entertainment Weekly
"A gorgeous， gripping read。" --Kamila Shamsie， author of Home Fire
"Cements [Sahota's] place in a vibrant literary canon alongside Salman Rushdie， Kamila Shamsie， Mohsin Hamid， Hari Kunzru and others。" --BookPage
A transfixing novel about two unforgettable characters seeking to free themselves--one from the expectations of women in early 20th century Punjab， and the other from the weight of life in the contemporary Indian diaspora
Mehar， a young bride in rural 1929 Punjab， is trying to discover the identity of her new husband。 Married to three brothers in a single ceremony， she and her now-sisters spend their days hard at work in the family's "china room，" sequestered from contact with the men--except when their domineering mother-in-law， Mai， summons them to a darkened chamber at night。 Curious and strong willed， Mehar tries to piece together what Mai doesn't want her to know。 From beneath her veil， she studies the sounds of the men's voices， the calluses on their fingers as she serves them tea。 Soon she glimpses something that seems to confirm which of the brothers is her husband， and a series of events is set in motion that will put more than one life at risk。 As the early stirrings of the Indian independence movement rise around her， Mehar must weigh her own desires against the reality--and danger--of her situation。
Spiraling around Mehar's story is that of a young man who arrives at his uncle's house in Punjab in the summer of 1999， hoping to shake an addiction that has held him in its grip for more than two years。 Growing up in small-town England as the son of an immigrant shopkeeper， his experiences of racism， violence， and estrangement from the culture of his birth led him to seek a dangerous form of escape。 As he rides out his withdrawal at his family's ancestral home--an abandoned farmstead， its china room mysteriously locked and barred--he begins to knit himself back together， gathering strength for the journey home。
Partly inspired by award-winning author Sunjeev Sahota's family history， China Room is at once a deft exploration of how systems of power circumscribe individual lives and a deeply moving portrait of the unconquerable human capacity to resist them。 At once sweeping and intimate， lush and propulsive， it is a stunning achievement from a contemporary master。
"A gorgeous， gripping read。" --Kamila Shamsie， author of Home Fire
"Cements [Sahota's] place in a vibrant literary canon alongside Salman Rushdie， Kamila Shamsie， Mohsin Hamid， Hari Kunzru and others。" --BookPage
A transfixing novel about two unforgettable characters seeking to free themselves--one from the expectations of women in early 20th century Punjab， and the other from the weight of life in the contemporary Indian diaspora
Mehar， a young bride in rural 1929 Punjab， is trying to discover the identity of her new husband。 Married to three brothers in a single ceremony， she and her now-sisters spend their days hard at work in the family's "china room，" sequestered from contact with the men--except when their domineering mother-in-law， Mai， summons them to a darkened chamber at night。 Curious and strong willed， Mehar tries to piece together what Mai doesn't want her to know。 From beneath her veil， she studies the sounds of the men's voices， the calluses on their fingers as she serves them tea。 Soon she glimpses something that seems to confirm which of the brothers is her husband， and a series of events is set in motion that will put more than one life at risk。 As the early stirrings of the Indian independence movement rise around her， Mehar must weigh her own desires against the reality--and danger--of her situation。
Spiraling around Mehar's story is that of a young man who arrives at his uncle's house in Punjab in the summer of 1999， hoping to shake an addiction that has held him in its grip for more than two years。 Growing up in small-town England as the son of an immigrant shopkeeper， his experiences of racism， violence， and estrangement from the culture of his birth led him to seek a dangerous form of escape。 As he rides out his withdrawal at his family's ancestral home--an abandoned farmstead， its china room mysteriously locked and barred--he begins to knit himself back together， gathering strength for the journey home。
Partly inspired by award-winning author Sunjeev Sahota's family history， China Room is at once a deft exploration of how systems of power circumscribe individual lives and a deeply moving portrait of the unconquerable human capacity to resist them。 At once sweeping and intimate， lush and propulsive， it is a stunning achievement from a contemporary master。
Reviews
Sophie Rayton
，
Short， powerful and devastating。
Samruddhi
，
I first heard of this book as a recommendation in Vivekism's Instagram stories。 Mostly we share tastes in books and I'm always eager to learn of new reads from his feed。 I was quite sceptical as male perspective rarely gets inside the female mind with a good grip but this was supposed to be a renowned author who had readership under his belt so I decided to give it a try。 China Room is almost a prison cell where a young boy battles his addiction haunted by his great-grandmother's life and memori I first heard of this book as a recommendation in Vivekism's Instagram stories。 Mostly we share tastes in books and I'm always eager to learn of new reads from his feed。 I was quite sceptical as male perspective rarely gets inside the female mind with a good grip but this was supposed to be a renowned author who had readership under his belt so I decided to give it a try。 China Room is almost a prison cell where a young boy battles his addiction haunted by his great-grandmother's life and memories in the house。 It seemed more like taking out snippets from the ancestor's life and trying to connect them with the author's own life。 （It was not difficult to read between the lines） The book also felt like I had been locked inside the mind of a man。 This is a very personal subjective review but also what felt true to me。 I did read the positive reviews singing praises of the narrative， frankly they were incomprehensible。 The author's style of prose is dry， almost British （Well， duh he's of this nationality） which doesn't really make for a gripping read as has been proclaimed by some people。 I had to finish it over a week while simultaneously reading other books so that I could pick my mind out of the slough this book put me。 The timelines switch between 1929 and 1999， the gap being decades of an entire old person， some scenes attempting to paint Punjab of the old and the modern ring true but my problem was always with what he was portraying and how it read。 Since one of the principle characters of this book was his great-grandmother Mehar Kaur， her voice seemed authentic only in one segment when she was young and Mai comes to pay a visit at their house。 Later and before this part， her voice is either drowned by the overwhelming male presence of author or the brothers of the Kaur house。 I could barely believe in her character when she was supposed to an enormous part of the narrative。 It felt sad to see her diminish before the author's segment of addiction or the male gaze almost plastered upon her （obviously it sat askew） and I was always desperately left searching for Mehar。 Only the author's hours in his great grandmother's house where withdrawal symptoms battered his body had some authenticity。 What I found hard to believe was that he got back on his feet with barely any proper help。 His experiences of racism have been freely interspersed into old memories that are conveniently written here。 I admit， it was hard to find connections of his experiences on racism with his ancestor's patriarchal ones and I still view them separately。 Possibly it might have linked more if the great grand child had been a girl。 I feel that their experiences though in different timelines， might have been more sympathetic to each other。 Though the story might be based on personal history and truth it fell completely flat for me， I was happy to be finished of the book。 The lens is heavy with male gaze which irked me at many points， it's also an outsider's view instead of a person already inside the bubble， probably due more to the fact that the author is not a native so the unique Indian flavours and scents or the resulting familiarity of culture failed to appear in his writing。 （I always find authors like these who might have a command over a language but don't have it on culture and characters from India， win huge literary prizes like Bookers et all-I think I understand why。。。） Sometimes the imagery might be vivid but I struggled to understand what it might have meant。 I'm probably undecided and will read at least one more of his books to understand his voice。 Read it if you like the synopsis？ 。。。more
Tuti
，
longlisted for the booker prize 2021a bit slow - but beautiful， poetic and wise in a quiet reflective way。
Elisabeth
，
This was a quick telling of an incredibly rich and memorable story。 The plot was compelling and caught me up in it， particularly the half set in 1929。 However， parts of the book fell flat for me。 I wanted more depth， more reflection for the characters and their circumstance。
Lynn
，
In 1929， a young woman in a village in Punjab is married to one of three brothers the same day as two other women。 They are held in a room called the China Room and summoned by their sister in law to have intercourse with their husband without seeing him。 The woman figures out who her husband is by studying his callouses and the three sons she sees from afar。 In 1999， the young man who turns out to be an ancestor visits the farm to kick a heroine addiction。 The mystery involves the Indian indepe In 1929， a young woman in a village in Punjab is married to one of three brothers the same day as two other women。 They are held in a room called the China Room and summoned by their sister in law to have intercourse with their husband without seeing him。 The woman figures out who her husband is by studying his callouses and the three sons she sees from afar。 In 1999， the young man who turns out to be an ancestor visits the farm to kick a heroine addiction。 The mystery involves the Indian independence movement。 A very good read。 。。。more
Krista
，
They live in the china room， which sits at a slight remove from the house and is named for the old willow-pattern plates that lean on a high stone shelf， a set of six that arrived with Mai years ago as part of her wedding dowry。 Far beneath the shelf， at waist level， runs a concrete slab that the women use for preparing food， and under this is a little mud-oven。 The end of the room widens enough for a pair of charpoys to be laid perpendicular to each other and across these two string beds all They live in the china room， which sits at a slight remove from the house and is named for the old willow-pattern plates that lean on a high stone shelf， a set of six that arrived with Mai years ago as part of her wedding dowry。 Far beneath the shelf， at waist level， runs a concrete slab that the women use for preparing food， and under this is a little mud-oven。 The end of the room widens enough for a pair of charpoys to be laid perpendicular to each other and across these two string beds all three women are made to sleep。 China Room really shouldn’t have worked for me — it’s kind of a sentimental historical drama， dripping with desire and forbidden love — but it touched me。 I cared about the characters， was fascinated by the customs， and appreciated the long view that author Sunjeev Sahota provides by splitting the storyline between two members of a Punjabi Sikh family， three generations and seventy years apart。 This is unlike Sahota’s last Man Booker nominated novel （The Year of the Runaways， which I loved）， and although it feels less deep， it worked for me。 Rounding up to four stars。 （Note: I read an ARC through NetGalley and passages quoted may not be in their final forms。） One hundred。 Two hundred。 Three hundred， he counts， barely working his lips and standing unmoving in the yard， in the moon。 The sun in the moon。 He looks about him， from the quiet of the barn to the charpoys stowed upright under the veranda， their long round legs like rifles， all the way across to the china room， shuttered in silence。 He’d skipped over the double-doors at the rear of the porch。 Now， he walks towards them， applies his hand to the flaking paint and steals inside， to where Mehar has been instructed to wait for her husband。 I have no idea how commonplace a practise the basic premise is: It is 1929 in the Punjab and a nasty matriarch has， over the lives of her three sons， arranged marriages for them with girls from distant villages， and in order to save money， she decides that all three ceremonies will happen on the same day。 Three young women （from fourteen to nineteen） — always veiled in public with a material that only allows them to see their own feet and hands as they walk and work — move into the “china room” off the main house on their wedding day; and although they can peek through the slats of the blinds when the men are in the courtyard， none of brides have any clue which of the brothers is her own husband。 Even when one of the brothers gets permission from his mother for a conjugal visit — for grandsons are wanted to work the family farm — the room that they couple in is so dark that none of the women can figure out which brother was hers; and it would apparently be bold and impious to ask。 The most daring （and youngest） of the women， Mehar， decides to risk everything to make a deeper connection with her spouse。 Men have their needs。 But for her life would be over。 She can see herself now: head shaved， breasts exposed， the iron pigring around her neck and the coarse rope parading her through the village。 She can hear the crowds calling her a dirty whore and feel the rocks cutting her flesh as she lurches to the well and jumps to her drowning end。 Yes， for those reasons she will go。 But， lying on her bed， her back to Harbans’ back， she recognises another note， a lighter， brighter music behind the crashing deathcymbals。 She listens to it， and hears it for what it is: desire， her own， amplifying。 She closes her eyes and whispers， out loud but so only she can hear it –‘I want you， too’– and then she reopens them， and for a long time she stares at the muddy apples spilled across the stone ledge of the window。 In a second storyline， it is 1999 and Mehar’s eighteen-year-old great-grandson returns to the Punjab from where he was raised in rural England， wanting to kick his heroin habit before starting university。 When his sickly presence proves too upsetting for his uncle’s sour wife， the boy moves out to the old farm， eventually fixing up the homestead and unwittingly choosing the china room as his own sleeping quarters。 Through the hard work and the company of some locals， the unnamed character regains his health and hears stories about the customs that still thwart people’s desires。 Looking around at what seems to him like a fine place to live， and recalling instances of the racism and back-breaking work that his parents suffered through in order to give him a better life， he has to wonder if their sacrifices were really worth it。 ‘You know what the best thing is about falling out of love？ It sets you free。 Because when you’re in love it is everything， it is imprisoning， it is all there is， and you’d do anything， anything， to keep that love。 But when it withers you can suddenly see the rest of the world again， everything else floods back into the places that love had monopolised。’ Apparently roughly based on Sahota’s own family history （there is a photo at the end of a very old woman holding a baby; is that Mehar with her great-grandson， the author？）， China Room has the feeling of truth to it; the plot didn’t go the way I expected， but such is life。 This novel doesn’t employ sophisticated literary tricks， and I could even call it lightweight， but it weighed on me all the same。 Call me pleasantly surprised。 。。。more
Cathie
，
I could have done without the present day time line but I found the other informative， I didn't really connect to the characters I don't think it will stick with me。 I could have done without the present day time line but I found the other informative， I didn't really connect to the characters I don't think it will stick with me。 。。。more
Joy D
，
Dual timeline story set in rural Punjab。 The modern story involves a young man’s struggle with heroin addiction。 He travels from England to India to live on his uncle’s farm while he goes through withdrawal。 While there， he develops a fondness for a female doctor and learns more about a family secret involving his great grandmother。 Many years later， he writes this story。 The historic timeline is set in Punjab in 1929。 Mehar （whom we later find out is the young man’s great grandmother） is one of Dual timeline story set in rural Punjab。 The modern story involves a young man’s struggle with heroin addiction。 He travels from England to India to live on his uncle’s farm while he goes through withdrawal。 While there， he develops a fondness for a female doctor and learns more about a family secret involving his great grandmother。 Many years later， he writes this story。 The historic timeline is set in Punjab in 1929。 Mehar （whom we later find out is the young man’s great grandmother） is one of three young women， in their teens， married to three brothers。 They are housed in the China Room （named for the dishes）， apart from the family’s central residence。 Each woman does not know which brother is her husband。 They are controlled by a domineering mother-in-law， and are expected to be fully veiled， silent， and dutiful。 Mehar is a bit of a rebel。 She assumes one brother is her husband and eventually finds herself in trouble。 This storyline is based on the author’s own family history。I quickly became engrossed in the timeline that features the three sisters。 From the start， we know something bad will happen to Mehar， so the atmosphere is tense， almost suffocating。 I feel like the modern story is not quite as well developed， though there are a few parallels。 Each story features a person in seclusion， a love story， and youthful mistakes。 Each contains a political element – in the older story， the Free India movement gains momentum and in the modern story， immigrants are blamed for economic issues in the UK。 The writing is evocative。 I could picture the scenes in India in my mind， though I have never been there。 It portrays how family trauma in one generation can impact future generations。 It is particularly effective in conveying the way the human spirit attempts to break free of internally or externally imposed imprisonment。 。。。more
Book Wormy
，
#BookerLonglist2021 Book 6 #ARC #Netgalley #ChinaRoomARC provided by Random House UK （via Netgalley） in exchange for an honest reviewI really enjoyed the central story about the young brides and I was always sad when we moved away from their story。 I loved the detailed descriptions of their lives in Punjab how they were expected to live and behave and how at least at first the brides were supportive of each other。The other story in the narrative relates to the Grandson and his visit to Punjab in #BookerLonglist2021 Book 6 #ARC #Netgalley #ChinaRoomARC provided by Random House UK （via Netgalley） in exchange for an honest reviewI really enjoyed the central story about the young brides and I was always sad when we moved away from their story。 I loved the detailed descriptions of their lives in Punjab how they were expected to live and behave and how at least at first the brides were supportive of each other。The other story in the narrative relates to the Grandson and his visit to Punjab in order to isolate himself from negative influences and to kick his heroin addiction at first it seems he chosen to replace one addiction with another but by the end of the story the reader understands how he got addicted in the first place and what it takes to become clean。The book raises important points about the treatment of ethnic minorities in Britain alongside the treatment of women in India and it could be said it compares and contrasts who is seen as second class citizens in each culture and how they are responded to。 The themes of love， lust， jealousy， repression， discrimination and family are all explored within the story with perhaps the most devastating being sibling rivalry and parental control。Overall this was a quiet， sad and possibly nostalgic story。More details here is due course https://thereadersroom。org/ 。。。more
Linden
，
Two alternating narratives， set in 1929 and 1999 India。 I really appreciated the beautiful writing， and I admit that I'm a sucker for books set in India。 It was inspired by the author's family history。 Two alternating narratives， set in 1929 and 1999 India。 I really appreciated the beautiful writing， and I admit that I'm a sucker for books set in India。 It was inspired by the author's family history。 。。。more
Elyse Walters
，
Two different time periods…。1920’s and 1990’s…between India and England…inspired by the authors own history。Gender-power， freedom， oppression， segregation， racism， betrayal， secrets， addiction， identity， and love are themes in this family saga historical novel。 Three wives- three husbands…one ceremony。 …who sleeps with who？ a rehabilitating heroin addict… …does he sleep at all？ I enjoyed this story and the characters。It felt a little silly at times …but it was meticulously personal， （heartbreak Two different time periods…。1920’s and 1990’s…between India and England…inspired by the authors own history。Gender-power， freedom， oppression， segregation， racism， betrayal， secrets， addiction， identity， and love are themes in this family saga historical novel。 Three wives- three husbands…one ceremony。 …who sleeps with who？ a rehabilitating heroin addict… …does he sleep at all？ I enjoyed this story and the characters。It felt a little silly at times …but it was meticulously personal， （heartbreaking and heartwarming ）…。…。quick irresistible novel。 Funny moment…。 “Oh， go crack an egg”。 。。。more
Sydney
，
Every family has a story， and in China Room， Sunjeev Sahota examines his own。 The origins of this tale lie in Sahota's ancestry， so there are elements of fact blended with fiction， it is just not obvious which is which。 There will be no spoilers in this brief review – just my first reflections on turning the last page。It is universally acknowledged that family trauma can carry across generations and this fact is echoed in the narrative - connecting common themes of identity and being trapped and Every family has a story， and in China Room， Sunjeev Sahota examines his own。 The origins of this tale lie in Sahota's ancestry， so there are elements of fact blended with fiction， it is just not obvious which is which。 There will be no spoilers in this brief review – just my first reflections on turning the last page。It is universally acknowledged that family trauma can carry across generations and this fact is echoed in the narrative - connecting common themes of identity and being trapped and imprisoned by suffocating power structures。 And yet there is a kernel of resistance and resilience to be found in the human spirit， to shape personal identity and to be independent， it refuses to be extinguished， even through grim failure。 This is a thoughtful， atmospheric， and understated story of two young people in different time periods， of interior lives， emotions， and feelings， unafraid of ambiguity or lack of answers， touching on issues such as religion， deception， betrayal， family， the position of girls and women。In short， it is one of those rare books where， once you finish it， you're in a daze， surprised that despite the passage of time， the world around you is still the same， oblivious of what's just happened in the story you have read， of the intensity of what you've just lived through – fiction for you， words on a page – but reality to countless， faceless， nameless individuals whose stories will never be known or told。 。。。more
Nidharshana
，
3。5
LindaJ^
，
This is one of the books on the 2021 Booker longlist。 I put it in the bottom half and do think it should make the shortlist。3。5 rounded down to 3 starsThis book tells two stories。 First and longest is the story of Mehar， who in 1929 entered an arranged marriage to one of three brothers at the same time as two other young women were married to the other two brothers。 The mother of the brothers - Mai， a widow - does not tell the girls which brother each has married and as a result of the tradition This is one of the books on the 2021 Booker longlist。 I put it in the bottom half and do think it should make the shortlist。3。5 rounded down to 3 starsThis book tells two stories。 First and longest is the story of Mehar， who in 1929 entered an arranged marriage to one of three brothers at the same time as two other young women were married to the other two brothers。 The mother of the brothers - Mai， a widow - does not tell the girls which brother each has married and as a result of the traditions in place at that time the young women must wear veils and must keep their eyes downcast。 Mehar tries to figure out which brother is her husband from things that are said during meals and when they have a night together。 She guesses wrong， however， and takes to sleeping with a different brother who seduces her before realizing she thinks he is her husband。 When she finds out， she becomes quite ill。 She never sleeps with her husband again but does return to the wrong brother， as the two have fallen in love and make plans to runaway。 But 。。。。The second story is about Mehar's grandson， who grows up in England rather than India and experiences racism in various forms， including watching what happens to his father。 He has become addicted to heroin and， at his father's urging， has return to India and his uncle's to get clean。 While there， he hears many stories about his grandmother， especially when people see he is sleeping in the China Room where his grandmother was imprisoned after her infidelity was discovered。This book is， I think， quite conventional。 I found it to be perfectly acceptable。 。。。more
Carol
，
Sanjeev Sahota combines exquisite， detailed language with an unusual， fascinating story of young brides in an Indian family and one of their descendants more than fifty years later。 It is beautifully observed and chronicled， the expressive language fitting each era it is depicting。 It is a book that commands your attention from beginning to end。I will definitely be looking for other books by this very talented author。
Colleen
，
2。5 rounded up。 Beautiful descriptions， interesting story but I felt like ten or so chapters were missing from the book。
Stacey Kimmel
，
This book captivated me with the intertwining of a families story between two characters from two time periods。 I was left wanting to know what happened and how things were connected。 I was also intrigued by the customs of India and marriage。
Henk
，
Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2021Quite forgettable for me， with a mirrored history/modern day timeline， in which I found the latter much more interesting but lacking in executionA scandal， that was all these people wanted， some easy story that they could loop around a person’s neck， and lynch them with。When I picked it up it read easily enough， but I was hardly compelled to pick it up。 More thoughts to follow
Hugh
，
Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2021I have read quite a lot of negative and lukewarm reviews of this one， and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it。 OK， there is nothing very innovative about it， but the perspective Sahota brings to this family story is an interesting one。The story has two strands。In the first， set in the 1920s， three young brides marry three brothers who live on a small farm in rural Punjab。 Under the strict rules women lived under there， they are not allowed to see Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2021I have read quite a lot of negative and lukewarm reviews of this one， and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it。 OK， there is nothing very innovative about it， but the perspective Sahota brings to this family story is an interesting one。The story has two strands。In the first， set in the 1920s， three young brides marry three brothers who live on a small farm in rural Punjab。 Under the strict rules women lived under there， they are not allowed to see their husbands' faces， and the youngest of them， Mehar， is seduced by the youngest brother， who is not her husband。 In the second strand， the narrator， Mehar's great-grandson， recounts a trip he made as an 18-year old heroin addict to the same part of Punjab， initially to stay with his uncle and aunt， and then on the now derelict family farm。 The older part of the story is told in very short chapters， the modern story in longer ones。 。。。more
Ari Levine
，
Longlisted for the 2021 Booker PrizeA slightly underwhelming 3。5， rounded down。 I was genuinely impressed by Sahota's last novel， The Year of the Runaways， which deservedly made the Booker shortlist back in （checks notes） 2015。 Others on GR have already described China Room as subtle， restrained， understated。 and subdued， and they're not wrong。 Sahota's prose style is elegant and precise， evocatively describing a rural farming village in the Punjab in both 1929 and 1999。 He deftly captures the i Longlisted for the 2021 Booker PrizeA slightly underwhelming 3。5， rounded down。 I was genuinely impressed by Sahota's last novel， The Year of the Runaways， which deservedly made the Booker shortlist back in （checks notes） 2015。 Others on GR have already described China Room as subtle， restrained， understated。 and subdued， and they're not wrong。 Sahota's prose style is elegant and precise， evocatively describing a rural farming village in the Punjab in both 1929 and 1999。 He deftly captures the interiority of his protagonists in this dual narrative， revealing the other characters through subjective narration and dialogue。 And the conceit is a clever one， playing with tropes of actual confinement and metaphorical imprisonment， addiction and passion， alienation and subjugation。 All of these thematic connections are implicit， I think overly implicit， left there for perceptive readers to pick up。The main 1929 narrative strand certainly could have worked as a self-contained novel， and had momentum， tension， and drama that the second 1999 strand lacked。 Mehar， one of three teenage girls who have been married into a Sikh family with three brothers in a joint ceremony， and spend most of their days confined inside an outbuilding by their horrifically domineering mother-in-law， Mai。 Trapped in a situation with mythic/fairy-tale resonances， the heavily-veiled wives are kept apart from their husbands， unable to ascertain which of the three brothers they've been married to， never seeing their faces when visited at night for reproductive sex。 The plot hangs on a mistaken identity， a flimsy ruse out of Shakespeare， and slowly escalates into a predictably tragic conclusion， as Mehar attempts to carve out a small measure of agency for herself in an oppressively patriarchal system。 The narrative of the second strand is underpowered， and illuminates the first one only tangentially。 Mehar's unnamed great-grandson has been shipped off to his uncle's house in India from the UK one summer to undergo heroin withdrawal before starting university in the fall。 After disappointing his controlling and judgmental aunt （a latter-day Mai？）， he moves into the old family farmhouse where Mehar lived。 Cleaning up the property as a project to occupy his days， he discovers the room where she lived， and hears rumors about her legendary life， full of brutality， scandal， and betrayal。 This was a perfectly good novel， however uneven and flawed。 Given how personal the story was for Sahota （Mehar is based on his own great-grandmother and the novel ends with a black-and-white photo of the two of them together）， this reading experience felt oddly bloodless and disengaged。 。。。more
A
，
3 of 13 for my Booker read Decided to listen to this instead of read it。 I normally listen to audiobooks at double speed （because I have the attention span of a toddler） but I found myself slowing this one down， wanting to savour it。 The characters are so rich and engrossing。 I found myself wanting to know more about all of them， and willing to read another 250 pages if it meant delving deeper into each of their stories。 Especially Mai， she's so unnerving。 There is so much culture in this book， 3 of 13 for my Booker read Decided to listen to this instead of read it。 I normally listen to audiobooks at double speed （because I have the attention span of a toddler） but I found myself slowing this one down， wanting to savour it。 The characters are so rich and engrossing。 I found myself wanting to know more about all of them， and willing to read another 250 pages if it meant delving deeper into each of their stories。 Especially Mai， she's so unnerving。 There is so much culture in this book， which might be a ridiculous thing to mention but I feel like every book I've read recently has been so （white） that this book's ability to transport you to india， its vibrancy and cultures and heat， feels like a breath of fresh air to me。 The 1929 chapters had a completeness and power that I don't think carried over to the modern day chapters in the same way but the shared struggles of Mehar and her great grandson made the transition less jarring。 I thought it was really well paced， and completely captivating， and the writing was stunning， weaving together themes of freedom and loss and intergenerational trauma so effortlessly。I'd also recommend the audiobook， indira definitely carried it but antonio did a fair job。 One of the best books i've read in a while， i'll be surprised if this doesn't make the shortlist。 。。。more
Ramona Cantaragiu
，
Decent story， beautiful prose but nothing particularly outstanding。 The switch between Mehar's forbidden love story and her great grandson's battle with addiction was not smooth enough for me and felt more like I was being pulled from a place where I really liked to be （with Mehar） and forced to endure sitting somewhere else simply because the author felt the there was need for something more， more parallels between different forms of oppression， obsession and forbidden desire。 This would have b Decent story， beautiful prose but nothing particularly outstanding。 The switch between Mehar's forbidden love story and her great grandson's battle with addiction was not smooth enough for me and felt more like I was being pulled from a place where I really liked to be （with Mehar） and forced to endure sitting somewhere else simply because the author felt the there was need for something more， more parallels between different forms of oppression， obsession and forbidden desire。 This would have been great if the great grandson had a more compelling story or if there was more tension and more mystery surrounding what happened to Mehar， but there was no such thing。 Overall this could have been a potential contender for the Booker prize if the author gave Mehar more attention and focused on making her situation （a young wife who is forced to do hard manual labor and obey her mother in law and the three sons and doesn't even know who her husband is） more dangerous and more suspenseful。 。。。more
Laura
，
I enjoyed the layered， interwoven style of the narratives in this book。 It certainly made me appreciate my lot in life。 It's not a lot， but it's a life。 I enjoyed the layered， interwoven style of the narratives in this book。 It certainly made me appreciate my lot in life。 It's not a lot， but it's a life。 。。。more
Ann-Marie DeStefano
，
Really 4。5 stars - a heart wrenching story…a look into the realities of marriage in Punjab in the 1920s。 Switches back and forth between two time periods， which was a little irritating since I was more invested in one than the other， but I appreciate that it is loosely based on the author and his ancestors。 Quick to read and very engaging。
Eydie Ann
，
I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 It is a dual timeline and each of the stories I thought were equally well told。 The writer has an easy style that makes it very pleasant to just continue to read。 Some weighty issues， cultural norms， and addiction subject matters that are intertwined throughout the storytelling
Ruchita
，
Hmm - Still thinking a bit about my review Its well written and has an engrossing story but there were two things that made it difficult for me to really like this book 1。 I didnt agree with the initial premise of the story -Only a man could assume that you a woman would not recognise her bed- mate just because she only ever saw him in the dark！2。 Also， I'm no historian but the kind of purdha described here is not something I have colloquially heard of from punjabi older generations （even pre -p Hmm - Still thinking a bit about my review Its well written and has an engrossing story but there were two things that made it difficult for me to really like this book 1。 I didnt agree with the initial premise of the story -Only a man could assume that you a woman would not recognise her bed- mate just because she only ever saw him in the dark！2。 Also， I'm no historian but the kind of purdha described here is not something I have colloquially heard of from punjabi older generations （even pre -partition）。 I will not take away that the writing is lyrical and the book has a nice flow。 Lots is shown and little is said， leaving you to interpret things in your own way！ 。。。more
Beth Roberts
，
I would never have picked this up from the cover alone。 This appeared to me to be a "sleeper"， placed as an add-on offer by Book of the Month Club and I decided to gamble on it。The writing is very good， the subject matter interesting and not something I know about。 However， the part of the modern-day boy trying to recover in an isolated place from heroin addiction， is， unfortunately， something I am tangentially connected to。 So， I picked this one up。Short and emotionally removed， this is a tale I would never have picked this up from the cover alone。 This appeared to me to be a "sleeper"， placed as an add-on offer by Book of the Month Club and I decided to gamble on it。The writing is very good， the subject matter interesting and not something I know about。 However， the part of the modern-day boy trying to recover in an isolated place from heroin addiction， is， unfortunately， something I am tangentially connected to。 So， I picked this one up。Short and emotionally removed， this is a tale of a time past in India。 I would like to hope the misogynistic treatment of women is past， as well， but I wonder。 But then， as this book illustrates， how much agency do any of us really have over our own lives？Not overly literary， and succinct。 Rather skillfully achieved， there is a hint that perhaps this book is a bit more semi-autobiographical than novel。 。。。more
Tom Evans
，
Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2021。 ‘China Room’ by Sunjeev Sahota is a strong work of fiction on gender dynamics and love in the caste system of early 20th century India。 Like many strong novels of this distinct Indian consciousness， Sahota writes with a deft touch， not needing to dazzle with literary language but rather with a compelling story。 ‘China Room’ is a strong contender for the shortlist。
Emily Goenner
，
I would have liked this much better Auth only the 1920s storyline。
Kate Manning
，
I adored this book。 The beautiful， lyrical language and the two unfolding stories blend and intertwine into a whimsical story of love and loss。 Written at the dawn of India's independence， giving glimpses of the troubles that arose afterwards， as well as having a parallel storyline generations later， the reader is immersed in how things change and remain the same in life。 I adored this book。 The beautiful， lyrical language and the two unfolding stories blend and intertwine into a whimsical story of love and loss。 Written at the dawn of India's independence， giving glimpses of the troubles that arose afterwards， as well as having a parallel storyline generations later， the reader is immersed in how things change and remain the same in life。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=China Room
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=China Room&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,China Room&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0