The Toss of a Lemon by Padma Viswanathan
This is a thick book, but deservedly so, as it covers the entire life of a woman living and surviving in a changing world. Set in India at the turn of the previous century, life is very different than today. People are very much born into a caste system, and our main character, Sivakami, would not think of ever violating this. She is “married” at age ten to a young man who is an astrologer of sorts. He tells her parents that he may not be a good match, as his own fortune dictates that he may die soon after the birth of his second child. But they are willing to make the match, as otherwise he seems like a good candidate, and so the marriage takes place, though Sivakami remains with her parents until she hits puberty at age 13.
Her only complaint in her marriage to Hanumarathnam is that from time to time her husband goes off with a group of “wild men” who claim to be alchemists, and he is hoping to discover a way to turn base metal into gold as well. And in a way, he does, in that their first child, a daughter, is a golden child, heavy and placid, but who brings joy to all who encounter her. And Thangham sheds, instead of skin cells like the rest of us, little flakes of gold.
The title of the book comes from the time when his child is about to be born. Hanumarathnam gives the midwife a lemon plucked from the tree outside, and instructs her to throw it out the window the moment the child is born, so he can calculate its fortune, and recalculate his own.
By age 18, Sivakami has given birth to their second child, a treasured son named Vairum (diamond) and has indeed been widowed. In her Brahmin caste, this means she must shave her head and remain indoors during daylight hours, and must not remarry. It never occurs to her to do otherwise, but with the help of her husband’s well-trained assistant, Muchami. Muchami is of a lower caste, and admires his superiors, and is respectful of Sivakami. He not only becomes her representative to the world in all outside affairs, but is beloved by her children, and when the time comes, their children as well. He is also homosexual, which Hanu knew, though they never spoke of it, so nothing untowards happens between the widow and assistant.
I know this has been a long review - but the books is over 600 pages long, and quite absorbing. It isn’t a book I felt I needed to rush through, but it was fascinating for me, being so completely unfamiliar with life in the caste system in the years before India’s independence.
It’s a really good book - my only complaint is that I really would have liked it to have a glossary. There’s a quote on the cover that says “The Toss of a Lemon” joins the company of great novels on India.” - Yann Martel, author if “Life of Pi” Perhaps if I had read all the others, I would have known what words like tiffin (basically a lunchbox) and Mami as opposed to Mama meant (aunty, mommy, grandma) - knowing things like that would have made the book easier to understand. It’s enjoyable anyway, and I recommend it - even if, like me, you have NOT read the other “great novels on India.”
Don’t let its heft dissuade you. It is interesting throughout, especially seeing how life and the world changes around Sivakami, still set in her orthodox Brahmin ways.
