Book Review - Sister of my Heart

Chitra Banerjee is an artist with words. She knows how to keep reader indulging and entertaining in her spell of words. Her style of writing is beautiful throughout the Novel. The “Sister of my Heart” is the story of two cousins Anju and Sudha who happen to be best friends and leaving in the same household of Calcutta. The plot revolves around these two girl’s life. The first half is very strong, somewhere in the second half the plot goes week but the style of  writing keeps you lost in the book. Anu is a dreamer, and Sudha is a story teller. Anju get wild and sometimes scary dreams which make her wake up from the sleep and scream. Sudha sees herself as a princess in story and believes a prince will come to rescue her take her with him. Anu's dreams and Sudha's stories are used aptly to explain the situation effortlessly. They have three mothers and no father.  They are born on the same day as the girls get mature, Anju thinks of Collage and Sudha thinks of Children and marriage.  Due to ill health of Anju’s mother she is also getting married early discontinuing her collage. Arrange marriage on the same day separates the friends. Now Anju is adjusting in California with a man she deeply loves but who lusts for Sudha. Sudha is adjusting in her new home where her Mother in law is torturing her and visiting temples to fill Sudha’s barren womb than see a doctor to treat her sterile son. The first half of the part is about girsl’s life in Calcutta while the second part is about Anju’s life in America and Sudha’s with her in Laws and husband. When Sudha learns about her father and that she doesn’t have to right his wrong she realizes her love for Anju is pure. Some of the scenes and conversations have turned out so beautiful that you actual feel to be part of their life and feel related to the characters. The conversation between Sudha and Anju when Anju calls from America and the bill is bulging with every minute so they are talking fast and hastily. Even for that part of conversation our sped of reading the novel increases unknowingly. Somewhere when we feel the plot is derailing and boring, Chitra's mesmerizing narratives sustain it well.