Family Life: A Novel Paperback – February 2, 2015

What begins as a fairly typical Indian immigrant story soon takes a devastating turn. The parents of the narrator, Ajay, decide to move the family to the United States in hopes of a better life. Hardworking and ambitious, they push their two sons to excel, especially in school, and are ecstatic when the elder boy, Birju, passes the entry exam for the Brooklyn School of Science. But during summer vacation, Birju suffers a traumatic brain injury in a diving accident. Life for the family will never be the same.The majority of the novel explores the effects of Birju's disability on his family and the local Indian community. Sharma takes us through the highs and lows, the hope and the despair. There are intense descriptions of Birju's physical care (and, in some cases, the lack of it). When the decision is made to bring Birju home, family life gets even more difficult. The invalid's bed becomes the center of the home, each member responsible for a shift of turning, feeding, cleaning, medicating. Members of the Hindu temple they attend are unsure of how to react: Should they offer help or sympathy, or should they just pretend that nothing has happened? Some even begin to treat the boy's mother as a saint, asking her to lay hands on their children in blessing. Young Ajay is particularly conflicted. He loves his brother; he hates his brother. He wishes his brother would die; he prays for his brother not to die. He hides the fact that he has a brother; he gives unasked-for grotesque details about his brother to his classmates as a means of getting attention.Although the novel is an emotionally difficult read, it's not told without humor and, if not hope, at least love.The end of the novel rushes through Ajay's adult years, giving snippets that demonstrate the powerful effects of the family's sad circumstances. I would have preferred Sharma to slow down a little here, perhaps been a bit more reflective. Still, this was a moving and gripping novel.

“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” So wrote Leo Tolstoy over a century ago. Akhil Sharma’s canvas is a distinctly unhappy family, and we’re alerted to it from the very first line: “My father has a glum nature. He’s been retired for a few years and he doesn’t speak much.”There’s a reason for his father’s glumness. As Indian immigrants, Ajay (the young narrator’s) parents had high hopes for their life in America, mainly centering around Ajay’s older brother Birju – a brilliant young scholar. Early on in the novel, Birju dives into a swimming pool, striking his head, leaving him forever brain damaged. It is now up to Ajay to navigate the treacherous waters ahead: deal with his own guilt and resentment and at the same time, strive to remain happy and make his parents proud.Akhil Sharma does not go for bells and whistles. The narrative is written in a spare and somewhat flattened tone, echoing the sense of loss and futility that pervades the closed-down Mishra family life. The price exacted by this personal tragedy – the isolation and alienation, the deceptions, the drinking and loss of identity – are balanced against a somewhat empty striving for the American dream.I was alerted to the fact that Family Life could be autobiographical by Ajay’s budding sense of himself as an observer and recorder of his life, reimagined into fiction. (Ajay is particularly enamored of Hemingway and indeed, Mr. Sharma’s style here is not unlike Hemingway’s in its distancing of emotion). Sure enough, after Googling the author, Family Lie is indeed based on his own experiences. In an article, Mr. Sharma states, “The story I was planning to tell had very little plot. A truly traumatic thing occurs to the family and then the family begins to unravel. This misery of this family’s daily life takes a slow toll.”To the book’s credit, it comes across as very authentic and believable without any of the manipulation one might expect from a topic of this sort. It is universal in examining a family’s response to loss and distinctive in its spotlight on the Indian community in general, and the Mishra family in particular. It is a genuine look at those who are forced to embark into unchartered territory and how, as an immigrant nation, we become removed not only from our roots but also from our own best selves.

A family broken by the weight of sudden unexpected disaster. A son writing with excruciating honesty about his rage and pain. The author's sparse vivid style brings it all to life. An incredible read!

Akhil Sharma's Family Life is a must read for everyone. Its about families, especially immigrant families and how they adapt to their adopted land. Or not. And, what happens when there is a family tragedy. In this case, an older brother, the apple of his parents eye, has an accident and is brain dead. An Indian family that migrated from India, his parents resort to many ways to deal and cope with this tragedy. The author, as a younger son, writes almost first hand about this and how it affected his life, including his parents'. The book is stark. Written in short and simple sentences it lays bare the emotional life of people and how they experience tragedy and change. How they deal with anger, guilt, resentment and finally, find forgiveness and acceptance. There isn't a part of the book that wouldn't resonate with readers.

Esta novela es de lo mejor que he leído últimamente. Narrada desde el punto de un niño, el lector siente ternura y simpatía por el protagonista. El inglés me ha parecido un poco raro. No es que sea incorrecto, pero sí ligeramente diferente a la narrativa de un nativo anglosajón. El libro se lee muy rápido y es ligero. Una lectura muy grata.

ce livre émouvant, drôle, et instructif sur les migrants, ici indiens mais à valeur universelle, est captivant jusqu'à la fin.

I liked that the conflict of the Mishras coming to the USA, especially of the main character, was not so focused on a cultural or generational Problem. It is an original, rough and entertaining story but I am not the big fan of simple happy endings. It was too much suffering throughout the novel for such an easy ending.