230:
There are some parallels between the novel and Sidhwa's own life. Similar to the main character Lenny, Sidhwa is Parsi, contracted polio as a child, grew up in Lahore, and was nine years old during the
Partition of India. Although she did not witness mob violence first hand, she heard mob chanting in
213:
Once
Partition and Pakistan become the new reality, the children worry about what may have become of Ayah. Lenny's mother and aunt are involved in taking care of fallen women, victims of the violence now rejected by their families. Then they see Ayah in a car, dressed up and made up like a Bollywood
209:
Only the stories the adults tell Lenny and a special section called "Ranna's story" are written in the past tense. Ranna’s story is the grueling report on how the great grandson of Imam Din, the family cook, - whom Lenny met on a visit to his village - witnessed the murder of his entire village and
201:
Sexual awakening is a major theme of the book but so is communal identity as the story takes place between 1943 and 1948 when India gained independence but was split into two countries. Ayah's admirers are a cross section of the Lahore residents before
Partition. Lenny has a lot of female relatives
197:
girl who recounts her childhood memories after she is struck by polio in her infancy. She spends most of her time with her ayah Shanta, an 18-year-old Hindu girl from
Amritsar. Their relationship is the main narrative because Lenny spends a lot of time with her ayah and she learns a lot about adult
205:
The tone of the novel, written almost completely in the present tense, is rather caustic and remote much like the relationship between the children and their parents. This distance is enforced by the fact that in a couple of passages the writer reveals that she conjured up this little girl and her
221:
The book is made up of many lively and interesting anecdotes, some of them related to
Partition, but just as many to Lenny's personal development and the unique position of the Parsis in Lahore and in India. Some of the chapters carry forward the plot but many of them do not but they leave an
27:
202:
and this novel has a plethora of characters, but ayah is the one she is most intimate with. Partition does not really affect Lenny until, during the chaos of 1947, she accidentally betrays ayah's presence in the house and ayah is carried off by an angry Muslim mob.
235:
I was actually walking to my private tutor, and there was this gunnysack lying by the roadside. The gardener, who was with me, just kicked the gunnysack, and a body spilled out, a dead body of a very good looking
210:
barely escaped alive. The telling of it is the more striking because of the change of voice as the extreme violence would be hard to convey through the eyes of an 8-year-old girl who was not there.
206:
memories 40 years after they happened. The consistent use of the present tense makes the memories extra vivid but the insights, the language and the humor are not always those of a little girl.
320:
Ayah's admirers: Masseur; Chinaman; Government House
Gardener; Ramazan the Butcher; Sher Singh, the Zookeeper; Wrestler who owns the restaurant; Sharbat Singh the Pathan, the knife-sharpener
214:
star. They find out that she is living in the Kotha, the disreputable part of the old city with Ice-Candy-man, one of her former admirers who has now transformed himself into an
231:
the distance and saw a few corpses during the conflict. Additionally, the scene in which ayah's lover is found in the road reflects one of Sidhwa's real memories from the time:
218:
poet but pimps her out and represses Ayah ruthlessly. Lenny's godmother intervenes and they extricate Ayah from her captivity in order to let her return to her family village.
193:– hence the title – but its original title was "Ice-Candy-Man," which allows for a broader interpretation of the story. The plot involves Lenny, a 4-year-old
381:
584:
579:
505:
112:
594:
519:
569:
135:
589:
222:
indelible impression of a community in a place that was permanently transformed in a matter of months.
574:
487:
362:" and should be banned from the county's public schools. The district decided not to ban the book.
464:
244:, was being filmed, the crew consulted Sidhwa's memory of the incident to recreate this scene.
198:
relationships from being with the voluptuous nanny and her very diverse group of admirers.
8:
533:
446:
410:
190:
334:
120:
107:
66:
302:
Ice-Candy-Man, ayah's admirer who keeps her in captivity after she leaves the family
146:
563:
271:
Slavesister or Mini Aunty, sister of
Godmother whom she treats like a servant
169:
40:
359:
329:
127:
450:
434:
414:
402:
288:
Hari, the gardener who becomes Muslim and changes his name to Hiram Ali
291:
The sweeper family, Moti, Muccho and their much abused daughter Papoo
551:
The reveal kickstarts the BBC's year-long celebration of literature.
538:
372:
401:
Sidhwa, Bapsi; Butalia, Urvashi; Whitehead, Andrew (Autumn 2000).
317:
Mr & Mrs Pen, Anglo-Indian couple who tutor Lenny's schoolwork
274:
Dr Manek Mody, brother in law of
Godmother who lives in Rawalpindi
403:"Bapsi Sidhwa and Urvashi Butalia Discuss the Partition of India"
26:
354:
A complaint was filed in
Volusia County, Florida, arguing that
194:
181:
294:
Hamida, the new Ayah recruited from the house for fallen women
262:
Electric Aunt (she does everything at the speed of lightning)
121:
314:
Colonel
Bharucha, surgeon and leader of the Parsee community
308:
Rosy & Pete and their Sikh father & American mother
215:
147:
189:
This novel is generally referred to as a story about the
400:
358:, which was on a high school reading list, contained "
506:"School board considers ban on Houston author's book"
534:"100 'most inspiring' novels revealed by BBC Arts"
164:(1991, U.S., 1992, India; originally published as
561:
433:Montenegro, David; Sidhwa, Bapsi (Winter 1990).
432:
488:"Watching My Novel Become Deepa Metha's Film"
526:
225:
285:Ranna, his great grandson from the village
25:
265:Cousin, her son and close friend to Lenny
240:When the movie adaptation of the novel,
268:Godmother (Roda) & (her) Oldhusband
562:
168:, 1988, England) is a novel by author
365:
311:Inspector General Rogers and his wife
482:
480:
478:
428:
426:
424:
585:Novels about the partition of India
520:"Schools chief upholds book ruling"
13:
580:American novels adapted into films
14:
606:
475:
469:The Literary Encyclopedia website
421:
349:
298:The Neighbors and other locals:
102:289 pp (first edition, hardback)
94:Print (hardback & paperback)
512:
498:
457:
394:
1:
387:
247:
435:"Bapsi Sidhwa: An Interview"
7:
382:100 most influential novels
305:The Shankars, the newlyweds
256:Lenny's parents, the Sethis
10:
611:
175:
282:Imam Din, the family cook
226:Autobiographical elements
145:
133:
119:
115:(first edition, hardback)
106:
98:
90:
82:
72:
62:
54:
46:
36:
24:
439:The Massachusetts Review
407:History Workshop Journal
259:Adi, her younger brother
324:
595:Novels by Bapsi Sidhwa
465:"Bapsi Sidhwa profile"
370:In November 2019, the
238:
360:pornographic material
233:
153:PR9540.9.S53 I34 1991
16:Novel by Bapsi Sidhwa
570:1991 American novels
508:. 13 November 2005.
380:on its list of the
21:
366:Critical reception
191:Partition of India
186:Time: 1943 - 1948
19:
590:Culture in Lahore
157:
156:
83:Publication place
67:Milkweed Editions
602:
575:Pakistani novels
554:
553:
548:
547:
530:
524:
523:
516:
510:
509:
502:
496:
495:
484:
473:
472:
461:
455:
454:
430:
419:
418:
398:
149:
123:
74:Publication date
29:
22:
18:
610:
609:
605:
604:
603:
601:
600:
599:
560:
559:
558:
557:
545:
543:
532:
531:
527:
518:
517:
513:
504:
503:
499:
486:
485:
476:
471:. 18 July 2002.
463:
462:
458:
431:
422:
399:
395:
390:
368:
352:
342:), is based on
327:
250:
228:
178:
138:
91:Media type
75:
32:
20:Cracking India
17:
12:
11:
5:
608:
598:
597:
592:
587:
582:
577:
572:
556:
555:
525:
511:
497:
474:
456:
420:
392:
391:
389:
386:
367:
364:
356:Cracking India
351:
348:
344:Cracking India
332:'s 1998 film,
326:
323:
322:
321:
318:
315:
312:
309:
306:
303:
296:
295:
292:
289:
286:
283:
278:The Servants:
276:
275:
272:
269:
266:
263:
260:
257:
249:
246:
227:
224:
177:
174:
161:Cracking India
155:
154:
151:
143:
142:
139:
134:
131:
130:
125:
117:
116:
110:
104:
103:
100:
96:
95:
92:
88:
87:
84:
80:
79:
76:
73:
70:
69:
64:
60:
59:
56:
52:
51:
48:
44:
43:
38:
34:
33:
30:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
607:
596:
593:
591:
588:
586:
583:
581:
578:
576:
573:
571:
568:
567:
565:
552:
541:
540:
535:
529:
521:
515:
507:
501:
493:
489:
483:
481:
479:
470:
466:
460:
452:
448:
444:
440:
436:
429:
427:
425:
416:
412:
408:
404:
397:
393:
385:
383:
379:
378:Ice Candy Man
375:
374:
363:
361:
357:
350:Controversies
347:
345:
341:
337:
336:
331:
319:
316:
313:
310:
307:
304:
301:
300:
299:
293:
290:
287:
284:
281:
280:
279:
273:
270:
267:
264:
261:
258:
255:
254:
253:
245:
243:
237:
232:
223:
219:
217:
211:
207:
203:
199:
196:
192:
187:
184:
183:
173:
171:
167:
166:Ice Candy Man
163:
162:
152:
150:
148:LC Class
144:
140:
137:
136:Dewey Decimal
132:
129:
126:
124:
118:
114:
113:0-915943-51-4
111:
109:
105:
101:
97:
93:
89:
86:United States
85:
81:
77:
71:
68:
65:
61:
57:
53:
49:
45:
42:
39:
35:
31:First edition
28:
23:
550:
544:. Retrieved
542:. 2019-11-05
537:
528:
514:
500:
492:Bapsi Sidhwa
491:
468:
459:
442:
438:
406:
396:
377:
371:
369:
355:
353:
343:
339:
333:
328:
297:
277:
252:The Family:
251:
241:
239:
234:
229:
220:
212:
208:
204:
200:
188:
185:
179:
170:Bapsi Sidhwa
165:
160:
159:
158:
41:Bapsi Sidhwa
409:(50): 232.
330:Deepa Mehta
564:Categories
546:2019-11-10
445:(4): 518.
388:References
340:Earth 1947
248:Characters
180:Setting:
63:Publisher
539:BBC News
451:25090210
373:BBC News
338:(titled
128:23462280
47:Language
415:4289700
376:listed
176:Summary
50:English
449:
413:
195:Parsee
182:Lahore
141:823 20
37:Author
447:JSTOR
411:JSTOR
335:Earth
242:Earth
99:Pages
58:Novel
55:Genre
325:Film
236:man.
216:Urdu
122:OCLC
108:ISBN
78:1991
566::
549:.
536:.
490:.
477:^
467:.
443:31
441:.
437:.
423:^
405:.
384:.
346:.
172:.
522:.
494:.
453:.
417:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
