Amit
Chaudhury deftly portrays new worlds converging as a family rebuilds itself and
Calcutta gingerly enters globalization. In A New World, he depicts three
generations of Chatterjee family grappling with the aftermath of divorce and
adjusting to retirement.
Jayojit
Chatterjee arrives in Calcutta on holiday with his seven year old son Bonny
after a divorce. He puts up with his parents, a retired Admiral and a
housewife. This leads to two months of bonding within the family members.
Chaudhuri’s
delicately nuanced descriptions of dislocation and the disorientation that
comes with the adoption of the lifestyle of U.S.A while still held by memories
set in another India touched my heart.
The
loud traffic and busy streets of dense, urban Calcutta form the backdrop to the
two month stint of father and son and unravels the emotional life of these
protagonists.
The
tight prose and cinematic approach of Chaudhuri, makes it worth a read.
This
book reads like a long-short story and renders a touching portrait of a family
in throes of change.
