Dahanu Road

Finished March 28
Dahanu Road by Anosh Irani
This is a very sensual novel, appealing to the senses. Zairos Irani is a young man, close to his grandfather Shapur. As he spends time with the old man, he is told stories of the past. He is also the one to find a worker's body in the orchard, and he finds himself drawn to the man's daughter. Kusum also finds herself drawn to Zairos and at the basis of this is a memory from her childhood. Zairos has lived a life of idleness and his first moves are hesitant. As the both find themselves defying taboos with their relationship, it is Kusum who has the strength. Their story also leads back to the story of Shapur and Banu, Zairos' grandparents.
We see the age-old conflict between the landowning Iranis, and the local tribal Warlis who work for them. Zairos discovers this history is part of his family story as well. This book has humour and sadness, but it is the evocative nature of the writing that makes it come alive.
This book is one of the ten finalists for the 2011 OLA Evergreen Award.