A Matter Of Time by Shashi Deshpande [Paperback]

A Matter of Time is a multi-generational story that explores the intricate relationships within an extended family.

The story, set in present day Karnataka, is narrated in the individual voices of the characters. One day, Sumi’s husband Gopal walks out on her and their three daughters, without offering any kind of explanation. Surprisingly, the wife too doesn't even ask him for a reason and this unsettles the young girls. Sumi takes her daughters, Aru, Charu and Seema, to her ancestral house. Her parents, Kalyani and Shripati, live together but have not spoken to each other for more than three decades. Gradually, the mystery behind the strange and oppressive silence is unveiled. Kalyani finally starts to open up as her relationships with her daughter and granddaughters deepen. Meanwhile, eighteen-year-old Aru is convinced that she is the reason because her father deserted the family. The pain of a broken home causes turbulence in her life. She struggles to understand why her mother did not stop Gopal from leaving. A Matter Of Time illustrates how Aru’s life changes in the coming months and how she forges life-changing relationships that even takes her by surprise.

A Matter Of Time beautifully weaves together elements of Hinduism into the world of modern India. The author’s simple yet powerful prose highlights many deeply unsettling issues about passive suffering and gender differences. This novel is to be read and to be pondered over, to really understand the its true meaning. A Matter Of Time, published by Penguin India in 2000, is available in paperback.