Balance of Fragile Things A Novel edition by Olivia Chadha Literature Fiction eBooks
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"Chadha’s prose is equally gorgeous and precise, and always full of energy and movement."
—John Vernon, author of Lucky Billy and The Last Canyon
"A luminous and sophisticated novel, Balance of Fragile Things offers a compelling view into modern family life with all its complications, secrets, and unbreakable bonds."
—Debra Ginsberg, author of The Grift and What the Heart Remembers
"Here is a new voice in American literature worth celebrating."
—Greg Ames, author of Buffalo Lockjaw
A multicultural American family comes together just as the world around them begins to fall apart...
When Vic Singh finds a dead blue butterfly—out of place in his cold, upstate New York village—he knows something is terribly amiss. Yet he is too busy dodging the bully at his high school, let alone trying to live up to his father’s expectations, to look much further into the environmental oddities around him.
Meanwhile, for Vic’s father, Paul, the ghosts of the past cause him to pressure his son to live up to his Sikh traditions—while his Latvian wife, Maija, is haunted by the present She’s having new and ominous psychic visions even though she can’t read her own teenage children. Isabella, attempting to lose herself through her role in a school play, has an illness she can't seem to shake—and Vic, trying to find himself, is spending more time alone in nature.
Then Paul’s father and Maija’s mother move in to the family home, upending the delicate balance of this Indian/Latvian family and its two American teenagers. Yet, as the environmental devastation that Vic’s butterflies have forewarned comes to bear, the family comes together in new and unexpected ways.
Olivia Chadha’s lovely, multilayered novel brings us into an extended family of three generations that strives to remain together in an unstable world.
Balance of Fragile Things A Novel edition by Olivia Chadha Literature Fiction eBooks
Wow. While this story evokes a host of issues (first and second gen immigrant identity, environmentalism, personal property, racial violence, and complicated family dynamics), it does it while focussing on a flawed but ultimately strong and positive family (been a while since I've read something where that is the case, turns out I'm more used to disfunction carrying the day.) It's actually a really fun read too, with just enough genre to keep me awake reading later than I had planned. For example, the Oma and Papaji duo engaging in a secretive investigation, made me think about how much I'd enjoy a whole series of noir detective stories about them. There's definitely something right about pairing these two stubborn grandparents, one a Latvian Holocaust survivor and the other a Sikh Partition survivor.Product details
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Balance of Fragile Things A Novel edition by Olivia Chadha Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
A beautifully written book that nails all the things I look for in a great read. The characters are all fully-realized, with the quirks and traits that make them unique individuals. You come to care about them because they're flawed yet vividly alive, from the bullied yet bright, Vic, to Paul his father, with all his ideas of how to make Vic into a man. The plot skillfully intertwines several story lines having to do with an environmental catastrophe, family tensions, and the immigrant experience, while also allowing the characters to develop over the course of the novel. I was deeply impressed with the beauty and dexterity of Chadha's writing style, in terms of her creating a rich setting but also in how she was able to handle several points of view. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
Olivia's first novel is a heartwarming story of a modern mixed American family. I fell in love with all the characters and had a hard time saying goodbye once the novel was over. I'm so happy to read a novel that portrays the delicate nature of relationships and the environment. Looking forward to more novels by Olivia Chadha.
I like it
Olivia Chadha has taken on an ambitious project to narrate the experience of contemporary immigrant families and the all-too-common challenges in "integrating" with the broader society while retaining one's sense of identity. In fact, the challenge for the children of immigrants is more complex; they do not need to retain an identity defined by their cultural history, but rather must forge a new identity that acknowledges their familial past while reflecting their lives in a different culture. The author amplifies this issue by highlighting the Latvian ancestry of Maija in contrast with the Sikh Indian ancestry of her husband, Paul. And to take the contrast one step further, she brings into the story the Latvian mother of Maija and Sikh Indian father of Paul. The character of Maija and Paul's son, Vic, is the most clearly drawn. Vic not only struggles with his father's insistence that Vic adhere to traditional beliefs, clothing and male attitudes but also wrestles with a clique of high school bullies who sense that Vic is an easy victim. The differences are sharply defined Maija is responsible for raising their daughter; Paul is responsible for raising their son. And on top of all this, Chadha layers lepidopterology, in which diverse species of butterflies become an obvious metaphor for the the phases and changes experienced by immigrants in their adaptation to a new environment. As I read this book, I had some difficulty identifying what didn't sound quite right in the narration. In many places, the writing exemplifies a new writer's mistake of telling instead of showing. And yet Chadha is not new to writing; she teaches writing; she holds a Ph.D. The narration generally felt awkward, so that I found it more difficult to immerse myself in the story. Perhaps part of the problem (for me) was the brevity of chapters that alternate by third-person narration of the thoughts and actions of each member of the family (mother, father, son and daughter). There are also occasional butterfly-focused "blog entries" by the son, Vic. I am delighted to see a story that brings to our attention a quiet wave of U.S. newcomers and hope that Chandha continues to develop her voice and that of her narrators as she mines her rich cultural heritage for stories that open our eyes to other perspectives.
Wonderful book from first-time author, Olivia Chadha. Very well written about a relevant, interesting subject. I look forward to future novels from her.
A well written novel of a multicultural family made up of 3 generations of Latvian and Indian members. I enjoyed reading it. Easy to relate to the story of people joining American society as many of us have had relatives who went through trying times. The likeable characters, experiences with all living in the same house, outside pressure and environmental issues contribute to the delicate balance.
"Balance of Fragile Things" is a first-time novel that is clearly written by a talented, experienced writer. Chadha has crafted a family with relatable struggles that make them impossible not to grow attached to. The stories of the individual family members are delicately woven together throughout the book creating a captivating story of familial bonds, and illustrating how strength and support can be drawn out of seemingly fragile relationships when put to the test by the instability of the environment around them. This is the first book in a long time that I can say I really enjoyed from cover to cover. I look forward to reading future works from this author.
Wow. While this story evokes a host of issues (first and second gen immigrant identity, environmentalism, personal property, racial violence, and complicated family dynamics), it does it while focussing on a flawed but ultimately strong and positive family (been a while since I've read something where that is the case, turns out I'm more used to disfunction carrying the day.) It's actually a really fun read too, with just enough genre to keep me awake reading later than I had planned. For example, the Oma and Papaji duo engaging in a secretive investigation, made me think about how much I'd enjoy a whole series of noir detective stories about them. There's definitely something right about pairing these two stubborn grandparents, one a Latvian Holocaust survivor and the other a Sikh Partition survivor.
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