Dollar Bahu
About This Book
Vinuta has just married Girish, a bank clerk, and moved into his family home in Bangalore. She settles in without much fuss, caring for her husband and his parents and letting her mother-in-law Gouramma's steady fault-finding wash over her. Life is not easy, but it is manageable. Then Girish's older brother Chandru, who works in the United States, decides to marry, and the household's mood shifts. His wife, whom everyone calls the 'Dollar Bahu', becomes the yardstick against which Vinuta is constantly measured. The family's recent comfort comes from Chandru's earnings in dollars, and Vinuta, who has no such glamour to offer, hears about the difference daily. Her peace of mind slips away, and her health begins to follow. The story turns when Gouramma travels to America to see her son and his wife. Away from the rigid expectations of middle-class Indian life, she discovers a freedom she did not know she wanted. She also learns something less comfortable: the money that impressed her at home cannot supply the affection and respect that her place in the family back in India gives her without any payment. Sudha Murty's novel looks at how wealth can change the way relatives see each other, and how close it can bring a family to breaking. It leaves the reader waiting on two questions: whether Gouramma can build a different bond with Vinuta, and whether Vinuta can bring herself to forgive what she has been through.
ISBN: 9780143103769
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