''Desirable Daughters'' (2002) is the first in a trilogy of novels by

Bharati Mukherjee Bharati Mukherjee (July 27, 1940 – January 28, 2017) was an Indian American-Canadian writer and professor emerita in the department of English at the University of California, Berkeley. She was the author of a number of novels and short story ...

which includes '' The Tree Bride'' (2004), followed by '' Miss New India'' (2011). The book was originally published by Hyperion / Theia.

Plot

The novel is told from the point of view of the protagonist, Tara Bhattacharjee, the youngest of three desirable

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

sisters. The three hail from a prosperous and urbane

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

family and are "raised according to the genteel social conventions and hallowed domestic

tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

s of India." Tara compares her life and the life of her family, past and present, with a direct ancestor named Tara Lata. The modern Tara says about her ancient ancestor, "Tara Lata Gangooly had turned the tragedy of her husband's death and a lifetime's virginity into a model of selfless saintliness." However, the modern Tara sees her life as perhaps the opposite of selflessness. She moved with her husband to Silicon Valley. Then, Tara jettisoned the mores, ethics and beliefs of her upbringing. She is divorced, has a live-in boyfriend, and retains custody of her completely acculturated son. In contrast, the oldest sister, Padma, has become the perfect representative of the

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

, ardently retaining her Indian identity in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. Parvati, the middle sister, has stayed in India and leads an affluent family lifestyle. She believes in the traditional Indian values with which she was raised. She begs Tara not to let herself become Americanized. Hence, the novel explores the themes of identity, culture, and family. It is a story about the challenges of living between and the ways of relating to two vastly different cultures.

References

External links

Desirable Daughters
Google Books.
A Study Guide for Bharati Mukherjee's Desirable Daughters
Google Books.
Desi Journal review

Publication history

* Hardcover — (), published in March 2002 by

Hyperion Hyperion may refer to: Greek mythology * Hyperion (Titan), one of the twelve Titans * ''Hyperion'', a byname of the Sun, Helios * Hyperion of Troy or Yperion, son of King Priam Science * Hyperion (moon), a moon of the planet Saturn * ''Hyp ...

. * Paperback — (), published in March 2003 by

2002 American novels American historical novels Novels by Bharati Mukherjee Novels set in San Francisco Postcolonial novels {{AsianAmerican-stub