India, 1926: English Margaret arrives with her new husband Suraj at his family home, set amidst beautiful rolling hills, the air filled with the soft scent of spices and hibiscus flowers. Margaret is unwelcome, homesick and lonely, but her maid Archana, a young woman from an impoverished family, reminds her of her long-lost sister, a tiny glimpse of home in a faraway place.
As Margaret and Archana spend more time together, an unexpected friendship blooms. But in British India the divide between rich and poor, English and Indian, is wide, and the clash between Margaret’s modern views and the weight of tradition on Archana will lead to devastating results…
England, 2000: When Emma’s grandmother gives her a mysterious painting, and asks her to take a message of forgiveness to an old friend in India, Emma is relieved to have some time and space to make a decision about her future. But as she fulfils her grandmother’s wish, a secret kept for over seventy years is finally revealed – the story of a day spent painting by a stream full of water lilies, where a betrayal tore three lives apart forever…
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Girl in the Painting to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The Girl in the Painting by Renita D'Silva is an epic novel of loss, heartbreak, betrayal and redemption. From the outset it was evident the author was really enjoying writing this story as so much emotion oozes from every page and it was as if this was a story she had been waiting for the opportunity to tell for a long time. The reader feels every ounce of pain, hurt and anguish that the characters are experiencing and I think Renita really got inside the heads of her characters through such astounding, imaginative, visual creative and lyrical writing. I was instantly swept up in the story and it soon becomes an absorbing, haunting, tense and powerful read.
The Girl in the Painting is a book that definitely deserves to be read more than once. Firstly it is quite a long book, at a little over 500 pages, and as the characters are so well thought out and all their traits and problems are so detailed and experience so much, I know there are bits that I have missed out on that would have helped me understand the bigger picture even more. Secondly as the writing is excellent from beginning to end with each word so carefully selected I want to go back and savour certain paragraphs and to delve a little deeper into their meaning in order to read between the lines that little bit more. I read the book quickly because I was so caught up in the story and the outpouring of feelings and emotions expressed by each character but I deeply regret doing so because there are so many layers to peel back in order to understand the motives and actions of our main characters which lead to varying consequences because of the decisions they make. I know there were hints dropped that I missed out on because I was racing through the chapters. This book is truly a stunning and well accomplished read which is definitely the best book Renita D'Silva has written
The story is told through three voices and normally I would find following three strands with three distinct opinions challenging but here it works seamlessly throughout the entire story. We move back and forth between the three characters until they all merge to make for a captivating, emotional but affirming conclusion. Emma in the year 2000 is perhaps the character with the least strongest voice but she does have an important role to play in bringing about redemption, resolution, forgiveness and acceptance. Emma's grandmother Margaret is nearing the end of her life and she has given Emma a task. She is to go to India and find a woman named Achrana to give her a letter and painting and to convey a message. The reasons for this task only become apparent as we weave our way through a story that becomes intense and compelling and one in which you feel you have travelled back in time.
Emma thinks this is a blessing in disguise. For she herself is facing a challenge and the decision she makes will have an effect on both herself and her daughter Chloe. She is torn in two, questioning whether everything she has believed has been a lie and whether she should take the step and confront the person in relation to the evidence that she has discovered. Is the time for closing her eyes to what is clearly before her running out? At the same time she won't let Margaret down and by accepting her request she may help herself come to some form of clarity which will perhaps alter in her life in a good way. I enjoyed the scenes set in modern times with Emma, and like Margaret and Achrana, she was going through internal battles that she needed to fight her way through in order to emerge calmer on the other side. The chapters from her viewpoint I felt weren't as heavy as sometimes I felt Achrana and Margaret's were and therefore they helped balance the story nicely.
Margaret was a deeply complex character and one very much shaped by events in her childhood. Never before in a book have I truly felt that one event moulded a character and changed them so much. Margaret is haunted by the loss of her mother and disabled sister Evie at the family home due to an air raid during World War One. Her father was lost in the war, the circumstances questionable. Margaret and her one remaining sister Winnie were the sole survivors but Margaret for many many years is eaten up inside because she could not save Evie. She feels a weight upon her shoulders and in her heart and mind and she seeks some form of escape. She believes that she has let Evie down and needs to make up for this. Margaret throughout her life is seeking acceptance and redemption for what she views as a deep and troubling sin. She must channel her feelings into some form of expression as the emotions of not belonging, guilt, anger and grief wear away at her constantly. She does through her painting which will have a significant bearing on the overall plot.
I couldn't say Margaret was a strong character because the events of her childhood broke her down and changed the person she was destined to be. She feels life is futile and the sense of displacement grows and grows for her. I don't think she mastered the situation initially in a strong and powerful way and it was a change to see a character really suffer such turmoil and heartbreak. Nothing came easy for her and she battled with the thoughts raging through her mind on a daily basis. At certain points she did appear to garner some strength but it is as if gusts of wind come and shake her confidence and her abilities. Guilt was the predominant word I would say in relation to her and it formed the backbone of her actions and the choices she made and this led to the ultimate act of betrayal or did she see it as a form of redemption for all the years she was seeking atonement and forgiveness in order to clear her conscious?
Margaret wants to live for Evie to gain all the experiences that Evie would never be afforded the opportunity to but all her anger and grief comes out through her paintings. She is discovered to be a rare talent but no one truly knows the reasons behind such vivid and eye catching paintings. As she finds herself embraced by the Bloomsbury set a man catches her eye. Suraj is in England having travelled from India to study as a lawyer. From the moment they set eyes on each other that is it there is no else. Will this be the acceptance Margaret has been seeking? Will Suraj fulfil the gaping hole in her heart which seems to grow ever wider? I felt and believed the deep connection between the pair and it did feel real and special and this perhaps would be the making of Margaret.
Their union is frowned upon given their different backgrounds but Margaret goes against convention and follows her heart soon finding herself living in India. A tragic incident sees Margaret and Suraj living in the family home and this is where the various strands of the story start to come together as Margaret meets Achrana. Is this where her destiny was always leading her too? By coming to India the old Margaret starts to emerge and she learns that people are so much more than their appearance caste, religion and beliefs. That they all love, live, hurt and hate in the same way. India will be a pivotal turning point for Margaret but amidst the heat, sounds, smells and vistas of a different country will tradition cause the most upset? Will Margaret find that India and an act of what was believed to be for the good of another turn her life upside down once again and change the way she lives out the rest of her life?
Achrana is the third person we follow and as we delve deeper and deeper into the story things start to become clear and there are many comparisons to be drawn between Achrana and Margaret. The majority of which I only truly understood having finished the book. Achrana's family have always struggled and when sister Radha brings further upset, upheaval and disrespect upon the family it is Achrana who has to step up and forgo her dreams. Achrana I thought was a very selfless person whose loyalty to her family was always evident, yet she too batted with what Indian tradition dictated. She was always seeking acceptance but yet there was an independent streak too which was battling to emerge. She was torn in two, freedom and education were her goal but she was trapped due to the shackles of expectation and duty. The Indian burial tradition sati which features heavily here was something I had not heard of before and it did stir up a lot of emotions and opinions. It was controversial and it led to life complications for Achrana which I felt were complex and unfair.
It's when Margaret and Achrana meet and the story takes further numerous twists and turns that I think the overall plot upped itself to another level. Having already been an astounding read things really ramped up and I was divided as to what I wanted the overall outcome to be and whether I approved of one characters actions over another. I wouldn't hesitate to recommended The Girl in the Painting. The characters and plot twists long live on in your mind once you have read the last word. I was taken on an exhilarating journey with such well crafted characters and I was sad to leave them behind.
Many thanks for this beautiful review, Emma. Thanks so much for hosting it, Sharon xx
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