A Delhi Obsession
M.G. Vassanji
M.G. Vassanji has won the Giller Prize for excellence in Canadian literature twice and is a recognized Canadian author with a current body of nine books. He is also an Order of Canada recipient so it was no surprise that his latest 2019 book, A Delhi Obsession was well written. I found that the plot allowed me to easily identify with the characters and the style of writing alternating from the male perspective and then from the female perspective was intriguing. The book also described many tourist sites in Delhi and caused me to do my own internet research about the various temples, markets and gardens mentioned. As a Toronto resident, I also appreciated the descriptions of Toronto as a local setting for part of the book. Similar to several of Vassanji’s previous books, the plot was an unusual romance. This time the story involved a Canadian Muslim man who has a long-distance affair with a married Hindu woman. The cultural differences between India and Canada were insightfully depicted and gave me (as a Canadian) a better understanding of the historical 1947 “partition” of India and Pakistan. The surprise ending was a unique twist which left me thinking long after finishing the book.
