Tamarind Woman

Tamarind Woman by Anita Rau Badami is the story of Saroja. The story is told first through the eyes of her daughter, Kamini, but then by Saroja herself. It is a sad story of a very bright girl, who wanted to become a doctor. However, she had a sharp tongue -- a Tamarind tongue -- and it resulted in her father deciding to find a husband for her rather than letting her continue her studies. The man who was found for her to marry was much older than she was, and he lived a traditional Indian life, in which he worked and his wife stayed at home. He worked for the Indian railway system, and was away from home three weeks of every month. When he was at home, he ignored Saroja, and seldom spoke to her. Thus, this very bright girl became very isolated, and her isolation was very hard for her to bear. She had two children, girls, who moved to North America when they were grown, thus increasing her isolation still further. After her husband's death, Saroja took trips on the Indian railway, but her isolation remained with her until the end. I did not care for The Hero's Walk, but I liked this book very much, although it was a sad book.