It still surprises me when an experienced, acclaimed author produces such a mediocre novel.
And ‘mediocre’ would be a generous estimation of Sidhwa’s An American Brat. The protagonist is Feroza, a 18-year-old Parsee from Lahore. Her mother, fearing Feroza is becoming too timid in her surroundings, sends her to America for 3 months, under the care of her uncle, studying at M.I.T. Feroza’s experiences and encounters form the main plot line of the novel.
There are some passages which are interesting in this journey, where Feroza reacts to American norms, standards, landscapes and so on, given her particular cultural and social background, upbringing, and experiences. The strongest parts of this novel are when through her characters, Sidhwa appreciates the different types of poverty in the East and in the West.
“When Feroza talked of the condition of blacks and Hispanics, the poverty and the job insecurity prevailing even among the whites in America, her family and friends looked at her with surprised, unsparing eyes. They had their own vistas of uncompromising poverty and could not feel compassion for people in a distant, opulent country that had never been devastated by war….seeing the filthy conditions in the tattered jhuggees that had sprung up on the outskirts of the Cantonment and between Ferozepore Road and Jail Road, Feroza understood their reaction. Poverty had spread like a galloping, disfiguring disease. Every kind of poverty in the United States paled in comparison. Yet it did not mean that the condition of the poor in America was trifling, or the injustice there less rampant. Feroza tried to clarify her thoughts. Poverty, she realized, groping for expression, was relative.”
This is one of the strongest, best written, and most thoughtful of passages in the novel. This is where Sidhwa actually allows her protagonist to reflect, compare, slowly understand the situational differences. Regretfully, such passages are very few and far between in this novel, and perhaps I have done the reader a disservice by quoting the best passage in the book, leaving all the rest to be a let down.
There are, regretfully, so many parts which are lacking, poorly executed, badly thought out in the rest of the narrative. The weakest element is perhaps character development. Feroza’s character is supposed to have undergone sea changes, especially when she stays on in America for some years, studying. However, for most part, the reader is informed of this, rather than witnessing through Feroza’s actions, thought processes, internal identity negotiations. It is a much more superficial method of developing a character, and much less convincing. Feroza is a singularly unsympathetic character, curiously enough, and not one easy to identify with, except on a surface level. It is a pity, because the backbone of the novel rests on this protagonist and her experiences.
The other side-plots and associated characters in the novel are even more poorly developed. We are told of Gwen, a former-apartment-mate of Feroza’s, who has a mysterious wealthy lover, but this story goes nowhere – the reader never gets any explanations, there is no follow up, and one day, Gwen simply vanishes without trace, this story has no purpose, direction nor conclusion. There are all together too many side tales of this type in Sidhwa’s novel. We are told that Feroza’s uncle has a darker, more dangerous side to him – but this piece of information also goes nowhere. There is tension in the relationship between niece and uncle, perhaps even sexual tension, but again, that just peters out without trace, and builds up to nothing. It is a most unsatisfactory novel on many counts. Even the initial portrayal of Khutlibai, Feroza’s grandmother who is potentially a woman of strong personality, is left hanging and undeveloped – Khutlibai fades from the narrative rather abruptly, and is no longer spoken of, after that promising introduction to the reader. There are altogether too many hints not followed up, side stories going nowhere, pieces of information that do not tie together, in this novel. It detracts from what could have been a rich narrative, becoming instead a sketchy, rather amateurish piece of writing.
Sidhwa also gives a rather distasteful depiction of how international students behave in America, attempting to beat the system. Shashi from India annually disguises himself as a starving beggar and appeals to the guilt and sympathy of Americans to give him money, while Feroza’s uncle routinely goes to expensive restaurants, intending to refuse to pay his bill on some trumped up excuse, to get a free meal. And it is not only international students, but American ones as well – Jo, Feroza’s first room mate, teaches Jo to shop lift regularly. It is unclear why Sidhwa stresses and repeatedly depicts such behaviour, unless perhaps the author is convinced this is the norm rather than the exception.
A far more rewarding line of narrative could have been developed through an analysis of the character of Feroza’s uncle, who seems to have developed a split personality to cope with his Pakistani and American identities. But alas, no, the reader is given little opportunity for greater insight into this far more interesting character than the protagonist.
The depiction of the Parsee community in Lahore is by and large clichéd and stereotypical, but humorously done for most part. Although not problematic, it does add relatively little of value to the narrative. If Sidhwa had given the reader more insight into, say, Feroza’s father’s views, for instance, which may in turn have informed Feroza’s own, this would have lent the novel some much needed depth. If she had moved beyond stereotypes of Parsee expectations, and treated culture as fluid and multi-interpreted, rather than a reference point set in stone, the novel could have developed into a narrative worth rereading.
Overall, this novel adds little which is new or particularly worthy to the spectrum of diasporic literature, to cross cultural understanding, even to the good reading in general. The writing style is unremarkable, unmemorable, uninteresting. I must admit I expected more of Bapsi Sidhwa. Quite a lot more.
This review was first published at Desilit. Reproduced here with permission.
What happens when a self-doubting and insecure Parsi girl is struggling to get self-assured? In this novel, her parents send her to America, to stand on her own two feet and become more poised and confident. That is exactly what happens to Feroza Ginwalla in Bapsi Sidhwa’s An American Brat. This is an engaging coming of age story, with Sidhwa’s distinctive vivid and colorful characterization. Life in America, for Feroza, begins with a horrifying experience at the airport soon after she lands. Her uncle Manek, who is a student at MIT helps her get settled and convinces her to go to school in America. He also teaches Feroza, her first valuable lesson, “The first lesson you learn in America is you don’t get something for nothing.” Feroza and Manek’s escapades in New York and Boston are comic yet touching. Her life as a student in Twin Falls, Idaho, is no different from that of any foreign student who arrives in America, from a mollycoddled mode of life. She struggles to find her way and yet manages to settle into school. Along the way she also makes friends of all kinds and learns all about relationships, good and bad.
Manek meanwhile, goes back to Pakistan to get married to a nice Parsi girl. During this visit to Pakistan he reveals his secret to his family, “America is Paradise,” he says, and that’s what keeps him going. As long as one has figured out how to function within the system, then the going will be great in America he assures his family, putting aside their fears of immoral behavior and other apprehensions. After his wedding he comes back to Cambridge to finish his Ph.D.
Meanwhile Feroza and her best friend Jo, visit Jo’s family in Denver. Fascinated by life in a large city, they decide to transfer to the University of Denver, to study Hotel Management. This move is followed by Feroza’s first visit home, and this time her family is stunned to see a confident and glowing Feroza who knows her mind, refuses to get married and wants a career and more importantly wants the ability to stand on her own two feet.
Only her grandmother Khutlibai sees a little more than the others,
Her gaze lingered on Feroza’s vibrant face, and her shrewd eyes were luminous with pride and love. She saw life and intelligence shining in her face, but there was too much life there, she thought with a trace of unease, too much intelligence -- more than might be good for her granddaughter.
While on the plane, on her way back to America, she finds that her family has gifted her $700, and Feroza is thrilled to use this cash to buy her first (second-hand) car. As fate would have it, the person from whom she is destined to buy the car is also destined to be the first love of her life. A blond haired blue-eyed David Press, is a man who is equally taken by Feroza’s beautiful features and shyness. A relationship blooms, and blossoms.
Soon a letter arrives at the Ginwalla’s home from Feroza, introducing David and a possible wedding with him. A shocked family immediately dispatches Feroza’s mother Zareen to Denver to foil the romance. Zareen feels lonely and helpless in a new country that she has lost her daughter to. “ I should have listened. I should have never let you go so far away. Look what it’s done to you -- you’ve become and American Brat,” she tells her daughter passionately, her daughter who stands to be excommunicated from the Parsi community for marrying outside of their tight knit group.
What stands out most in this novel is the relationship of the protagonist to both her religion and her upbringing, which clearly make her the person she is. Much as Feroza is fiercely independent and knows her own mind, her rearing and spirituality help guide her and pull her reins when she is going to fast for her own comfort.
This is a hilarious, prolific and deeply enlightening tale of a girl who experiences her new country only as an immigrant can, and comes of age on her own terms. To those who don’t know about the Parsi community, this is a great primer. Sidhwa’s vibrant writing and her lively characters go hand in hand in making this one of her most poignant and entertaining works yet.
Book Description: Growing up in Pakistan in the 1970s, Feroza Ginwalla is precocious, impetuous, and increasingly affected by the rising tide of religious fundamentalism there. When her family decides to send her to America for a change of scenery and influence, a chain of amusing events and encounters ensues. She enrolls at a conservative Mormon college in Idaho, falls in love with a young man who is clearly not Parsee, and experiences her new country as only an immigrant can, even while her family worries that she is straying too far. A hilarious, touching and illuminating novel about a young woman caught between Pakistan and America.
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