This story was so well-executed...it blew my mind. (Also, someone archive this post - I actually enjoyed two reading assignments in a row! Surely this is some freak miracle of academia.)
Usually I hate 95% of what I read. Bad? Pretentious? Maybe. True? Definitely. But "This Blessed House" is in that top 5%.
I think this touches on an idea that is common in South Asian literature..."what constitutes good marriage, in the modern, feminist age?" Amina married for children. Reverend Mother's mate was chosen for her, by her father. And Twinkle married for...well. We aren't quite sure what. But in Lahiri's text, there are these little snapshots you're handed that just say: "this is my character." Example? P. 395: "she dragged him to a tiny bookshop on St. Mark's Place, where she browsed for nearly an hour, and when they left she insisted that they dance a tango on the sidewalk in front of strangers." She's about to get her master's degree. (p. 401) She leaves guests' coats on banisters in the house. (p. 404)
So what does this make her, as a wife? I think with India being increasingly exposed to ideas of feminism, it makes one wonder where the "traditional woman" - the kind who is demure to men and cooks - fits in.
Twinkle is a character that sticks with you. She's like some kind of weird silly putty on your brain. "She's so wow." (p. 405)
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