Book Review: Before We Visit the Goddess

Book- Before We Visit the Goddess
Author- Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Publisher- Simon & Schuster UK Ltd.
210 pages

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni gives an insight into the complicated relationships between women of three generations in Before We Visit the Goddess. Sabitri tries to mend ties with her daughter Bela in the US despite being unhappy with her life choices. Bela has called her, requesting her to 'speak some sense' into Tara who has given up her education. Sabitri, born and brought in rural West Bengal, tries hard to figure out what she can possibly tell the American granddaughter she has never met.

The story falls into place from here. Sabitri starts penning a letter to her granddaughter and shares details about her life in the hope that her experiences – growing up in a time when education for women was a luxury – might persuade Tara to consider going back to college. The story goes back and forth in time and reveals captivating bits and pieces of the lives of the trio.

Bela has struggled to get used to a new country, culture and lifestyle after eloping with the man she loved. Though she dearly misses Sabitri, she doesn't have the nerve to fix the relationship with her. The separation from her husband was more agonising than she had fathomed; it hurts more that her daughter, too, has abandoned her. She develops a healthy friendship with Ken, who slowly but surely helps her start life afresh.

Tara, on the other hand, cuts all ties with her parents, drops out of college and starts on a dangerous path, all the while struggling to fight gnawing loneliness. Her life entails a series of jobs. She meets several people along the way and tries to find solace in them. With the help of therapy and a man who loves her, Tara painstakingly rebuilds her life and starts a family without her parents by her side.

Though all the three characters lead complicated lives, one feels Sabitri's is more muddled. Her journey from being thrown out of the house of the rich 'benevolent' woman to ending up being able to independently set up her own sweets store – this after experiencing widowhood at an early age – is very real. She goes on with life alone, later finding support in good friend Bipin Bihari. In another time and place, Sabitri would have liked to have Bihari as more than just a friend.

This story underlines the yearning for love of all three women and the loneliness they are trying so desperately to fight. The intricate connections of the trio and the author's engaging writing make Before We Visit The Goddess an engrossing read. However, one felt there was still scope for further exploring the characters.
The novel would have been a complete package if there had been more exploration about what happens to Bela when she moves into a senior facility, or how Tara manages to raise her son given her own troubled past with her parents.

A few bits are missing, but Before We Visit The Goddess has some profound moments that strike a chord.