The Immigrant by Manju Kapur

8TH JANUARY 2010
Members present: Indira, Pakhi, Runa .
We have decided to record our lively discussions on the selected books. Since some structure is necessary to make the account coherent I have adopted , out of sheer convenience, the seven aspects which, according to E.M. Forster, need to be examined while evaluating a novel. These are :
• Story – basic purpose of a novel is telling a story, stringing events together to fulfill a purpose.
• Characters- Flat/ round, life like or puppets.
• Plot- sense of suspense and building up a need to know what happens next.
• Fantasy and Prophecy are rather intangible elements which together provide value to the story,contributes a sense of ‘spirituality’ and ‘universality’ which gives depth and makes for greatness.
• Pattern – structure of the novel. Not to be over rated.
• Rhythm - a pattern of repetition and variation giving a pleasing sense of expansiveness.
(As defined by E.M Forster)
So here goes……
Story
This story is about a single professional woman in straitened circumstances with family responsibilities to whom marriage appears to be the passport to love, security and fulfillment. She is a product of her society. But marriage when it happens, does not deliver any of these and Nina discovers that the only thing she has to rely on is herself and the need to adapt to circumstances and go forward.
We might even ask why the title is The Immigrant ; Portrait of a Marriage might have been more apt. While the immigrant experience is described through the different perspectives of Nina and Anand , the main theme is really a story of personal growth.

Characters
Characters of both protagonists and the minor characters are familiar ‘types’ to us . All of us have known Ninas and Anands, people like Alka and her IAS husband, Nina’s mother, Anand’s uncle etc.etc. But the mental landscape particularly of the two main character , has not been plumbed adequately. Nina’s passivity is rather bothersome. Description lacks passion. Emotion though real enough is reduced to dull mundaneness. They seem a little lifeless. Are the author’s strings visible ?
Plot
The plot is jerky. In fact while certain incidents do strike a resonance with readers who have a English Lit /Delhi University background the going back and forth across two continents is clumsy. Sometimes interest flags… All major events appear to have equal emphasis. What is the climax ? What is the turning point? We keep waiting for something to happen which will cause a bang. But even the ending fizzles out like a damp squib.
Fantasy, Prophecy
The inadequacy culminates here. Do we feel it to be a vibrant book which hits you in the right spots and lifts you out of the specific to the universal ? … Not really. In fact we are reduced to plain ordinariness.
Pattern
Pretty straightforward and as said before, rather jerky especially in the beginning, with draggy bits. Of course the style is very matter of fact. Since I haven’t read any of the authors other book , I do not know whether it is her trade mark or it is intentional to this story. Some readers have found the graphic descriptions of sex and scenes like the college toilet rather crude and unnecessary. Perhaps the matter of factness is intentional then, to convey the utter depressing state of affairs.
Rhythm
None.
Final Verdict : A quick read, and for Delhiites there are many cameos one can identify with. One can empathise with the heroine most of the time, though her naivete appears somewhat unrealistic in these blasé times. The theme of personal growth is even mildly interesting. In the broader context however, the novel leaves one feeling let down and dissatisfied.