An interesting read entering into the culture of an Indian
family who immigrates to the United States, in the Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing, written by Mira Jacob. Jacob’s book is her first and notes it took
her ten years to write! What
dedication. Jacob’s story is drawn from
her own experience growing up as a first-generation American and the feeling of
exile that her father felt when leaving India with a brother and mother
behind. The departure of her father from
India marks the beginning of the story, though the author uses a “back and
forth” through time writing-style to share the life of Amina, the younger of
two children. Amina and her brother,
Akhil, grow up in the Tucson area, but the majority of Amina’s adult life is
spent in Seattle, as a photographer.
Amina left doing “news-worthy front page stories” for newspapers to do
photography for weddings and other events for a company. Amina and her Indian “cousin” Dimple, live
together and attempt to escape the traditional expectations their parents have
for the two women. But Amina can’t
escape her past, nor can her parents as we learn her brother died in a tragic
accident while driving, that may have been avoided IF their parents had paid
attention to Akhil’s growing condition that had him fall asleep in the middle
of doing activities. Amina’s father, a
brain surgeon, never faced the issue as he was consumed by his own work and
also a seemingly inability to face issues related to family, as described in
his last visit to India where he and his brother fought incessantly leading to
Amina and the family departing early from their visit. This becomes a turning point in the
story. A few years after the visit,
Amina’s grandmother, uncle, and entire family are killed in a fire, leading to
what Amina’s mother would say “evil spirits” forced upon them. Amina has her own trials as she is engrossed
in bizarre photography, including capturing a Native American jumping to his
death attempting to fly from the bridge, and committing suicide. The picture made national news and was the
impetus for her changing focus to low-key photography, weddings. Although she did take the wedding photos, she
was still drawn to the bizarre pictures, capturing people in very compromising
situations. These photos will come back
to haunt her later. Amina’s mother never
stops attempting to get her to marry an Indian man and connives her home to do
so often. Amina is finally brought home
to face one more challenge, her father’s bizarre behavior, speaking to his dead
son in the garden. When it is learned he
has a brain tumor that makes him speak to “visions” and act out, Amina returns
home for a visit that will change her and her family’s life forever. As a reader, this and my last book capture the
gaining process of parents and two different but similar ends to the
story. In both cases, family reject the
fact we are all mortal, but with this one, the child is forced to be the parent
and not run away from the reality that faces them. The book gives a good glimpse into a
different culture than my own, and how we all have a bit of strangeness in our
families. Is there such a thing as
dysfunction? Seems like it is how we
function through the odd characteristics each of us bring to our lives. Another sad ending… but I guess that is what
happens in life. Worth a read, for sure.
No comments:
Post a Comment