The Toss of a Lemon, by Padna Viswanathan

Th Toss of a lemon

Padna Viswanathan

I try to include novels that take place in and are preferably written by authors from non-Western cultures for the Let's Read Historical Novels group (for which this novel is scheduled for discussion on 2 March.). Of course, my purpose is to explore the literature of other lands, to learn about them, and I definitely accomplished both with this novel. It is a family saga following a Brahman widow and her descendants in the Madras region of India. It takes place from 1896 to well into the second half of the 20th century, from the marriage at 10 of Sivakami, the main character, through to her passing in 1966.

The persistent theme of The Toss of a Lemon is the slow breakup of the caste system. Sivakami's family is Brahman and, for the most part, quite happy to remain part of a society that regards this privileged caste as deservedly superior. In spite of harsh traditions of their caste, such as the widowed nineteen-year old Sivakami being required to live out of sight in her own home, ample evidence that individual worth is not dependent on caste heritage, and the growing shift away from caste in Indian society, Sivakami and later her granddaughter Janiki, cling to social standing. In contrast Sivakami's son, Viron, who learned when still small what his mother and niece never do, rejects caste and makes his way in the world as a highly successful 20th century businessman who can never forgive his mother's adherence to, as he puts it, "8000 year old superstition".

Sivakami chooses, after her young husband's death, to move back to his home and raise their two children. At her side, so long as he stays in the courtyard, is Muchami, a lower caste servant who had considered himself as widowed as she at the beloved husband's and employer's death. Sivakami cannot go outside her house, for the very sight of a widow is bad luck. She cannot speak directly to men other than her servant. Though she is an able manager of the lands her husband left to their son, she can only visit them on a map he made her before he died. One fascinating aspect of the novel is the view that comes from that single house, though when the point of view shifts to other characters, that unique aspect is lost. Sivakami permits her daughter to marry a cad, an example of just how arbitrary value derived from class can be. The contrast between the son in law and the faithful Muchami with defiant Viron in the middle says it all. Viron, childless, winds up having to raise his brother in law's and sister's children, a painful irony for him, and this simply heightens his anger.

In the background is the movement for independence from Great Britain and the class warfare as democracy takes the place of the rule of the Brahmans. One thing I learned was that, in spite of American's image of Mohandas Gandhi as a hero of the people, the fact was that he was Brahman and detested by the people in most of the castes. India's experience of the World Wars is at a distance, and technology seems to be decades behind. If anything, Sivakami and her family are content and even in favor of maintaining the virtually medieval life that imprisons them.

The prose in the book took some getting used to, being accustomed to English and American novels for the most part. The Toss of a Lemon slips from past tense t present tense constantly, which I assume reflects Tamil patterns. The superstitions Viron decries seem at least in some cases to be facts, with events being influenced by paranormal factors. The most troubling character for me, and I do not doubt this was the purpose of Muchami, was the gay servant who valued Brahmans almost more than they did themselves, and while living his clandestine life nevertheless at one point leads a vigilante effort to punish a low caste man for daring to have an affair with a Brahman widow. It was that situation that made me see Muchami as the reverse of Brahman claims to privilege, the lower class person who, like Mr. Hudson in Upstairs, Downstairs passionately regards the Bellamys as his "betters".

This was the first book I read on my new digital talking book machine from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. I was able to download it to a special cartridge from the BARD site. The new machine and the service are extraordinary, and I am thrilled to finally be able to take advantage of it to read.

Did I mispell characters' names? I am legally blind and read everything in audio formats of one type or another. I don't have access to print to check the spellings. I would appreciate being told the correct spellings rather than being criticized, as I have been, for the mistakes.