Detailed summary of the inheritance of loss by kiran desai
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The Inheritance of Loss, a 2006 book by Kiran Desai, tells the story of two characters, one living illegally in the US and one residing in the mountains of India, and the conflict between the traditions of the Indian way of life and the shiny opulence of England and the US.
The story opens with Sai, a well-educated Indian girl who lives with her grandfather in the mountains of India. It is a turbulent time because ethnic Nepalese want to separate from India and have their own country. Her grandfather is a judge and part of the upper class. They are robbed one day of their food, weapons, and liquor.
Sai’s grandfather has watched over her since her parents died. He took her in to fulfill a spiritual debt he took on when he left his wife and eventually killed her. He struggles with this guilt, wanting to leave behind the traditions of India, but unable to integrate fully into English life. Sai falls in love with her tutor, Gyan. They fail to consummate their love, however, because of their differing social class.
The cook of the house watches over them to make sure that Gyan does not take advantage of Sai’s heart.He also worries about his son, Biju, who lives in the US illegally. He received a visa to the US, but he stayed long after it was over, working in kitchens for slave wages. Because of his status, he is abused and taken advantage of. One particular boss runs him ragged, though he is also Indian. The experience breaks Biju, and he decides to take his earnings and return to India.
Throughout the book, the political situations worsen for each character. They are consumed with guilt about how they have led their lives so far. It is a turbulent novel; each character seeks redemption but does not quite receive it.
Much of the novel deals with the effects of colonialism in the wake of England’s official withdraw from many of its colonies. Many Indians were fascinated by the English way of life, which seemed to offer more opportunities than what they felt was the squalor of India.
India’s class system is also at play for all of the characters. The judge and his granddaughter Sai are upper class Indian. As such, they have been educated and have lived in the West. This experience causes the grandfather to resent his Indian background, going so far as to wear white powder to try to hide his features. He returns home to his wife, but she reminds him of what he left behind, and he spends the rest of her life abusing her, full of contempt.
Sai and Gyan are in love, but they cannot be together because he is ethnic Nepalese. Although his family worked in the Army, this is not good enough to marry across class lines. They are together in the house but utterly separated by social status.
Biju, despite his father’s tall stories of his wealthy life in America, lives in the same squalor he hoped to leave when he came to the country. His visa is expired, and he works for almost nothing. It is a struggle every day to survive, find food and shelter. This experience betrays what he hoped lives up this dream and returns to his father.