Book Review: The Toss of a Lemon

Sivakami is a ten year old betrothed to a doomed astrologist. The astrologist predicts that the birth of his son will render his demise, and as he is a talented astrologist, he does soon die. The rest of TheToss of a Lemon picks up quickly as the reader is taken on a journey with a rebellious Brahman woman who simultaneously adheres strictly to her caste traditions. The Toss of a Lemon speaks to the reader in present tense for all six hundred of its pages, forcing the reader to become engulfed in every tiny facet. While some readers may find the amount of delicate detail cumbersome, the inquisitive ones will revel in the glimpse into a culture otherwise largely glossed over by western education systems. Through the span of three generations, Padma Viswanathan perceptively describes the cultural changes in India from 1896 onwards. She does so through the experiences and personal views of her characters, thus showing many sides of the cultural shift. With a writing style evocative of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, The Toss of a Lemon entertains the intelligent reader through the trials of the declining caste system.
                A particularly poignant description of caste life is when Sivakami dons the widow’s whites, and has her head shorn to become an untouchable throughout daylight hours. Viswanathan writes, “As he lifts the first hank from her neck, Sivakami’s deprived body thrills to the sensation, and the shame of this thrill makes her glad that he is cutting it off” (65). Viswanathan’s simple portrayal of human emotion is a large part of the draw of this novel. There is no character that enjoys a well-defined role of either protagonist or antagonist. This, above all else, creates a believable world into which the reader is drawn.
                The closest Viswanathan comes to an antagonist is through the character of Sivakami’s son, Vairum. Vairum is the cause of his father’s death, though it was never fully explained to him. Vairum is the complete opposite of his mother, openly rebelling at every chance to the caste into which he was born. Though the modern reader will recognize the canon of the rebellious child and generational shifts, Viswanathan brings it home on a personal level. An example is when Viswanathan writes concerning a court case which Vairum wins, “It wasn’t only the victory, though he wouldn’t have enjoyed losing. It was the sense that he was on the side of fairness, of modernity” (240). He seems to be the antagonist in the story because Viswanathan spends so much time cultivating the story of Sivakami that the reader is compelled to side with the antiquated views of widowed mother.
                The Toss of a Lemon is a book in which the reader may lose his or herself. It is a superb account of coming of age and the loss of and desperate clinging to the ways of old.

Yarn Retreat

A soda cozy from the retreat.

Hannah with part of my lace-knit cowl on her
shoulder...and me.

A couple weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending the some-what annual Knit Unto Others yarn retreat. We went to Iron Mountain lodge and marina and a few of us stayed the night in a cabin. All the ladies brought a little something to eat, and so we feasted on pizza and crab mold and spinach dip from my grandmother’s recipes. Beverages of all kinds were present, but the classy kind, of course. We stayed up until midnight, sipping wine and knitting and chatting.

A day at Clear Lake

On the dock at Clear Lake

I also identify trees in my spare time, hence
the day pack.

With the possibility of it being my last one ever, I decided to actually do things this year for spring break. Now, by things, I don’t mean a Caribbean cruise with hunky men serving me mimosas in the middle of the ocean. If only.  I mean, I went outside. That’s sort of a simplistic way of explaining it. I have this assignment in my creative writing class that I’ve been avoiding like the plague. Something about three book reviews that I just…bleeegh. But also, there’s a portfolio due in that class by the end of semester, which is coming up more quickly than I care to realize. Since I’m writing poems, I figured I ought to get out into nature and let myself just think. And wander. So, to Clear Lake I went.

I tend to get a little obsessive about things, such as yarn and nature. When I’m not mindlessly perusing the internet, my second favorite place to be is in nature. Fields and fjords and lakes and ponds all call to me. Okay, maybe not fjords where I live, but it was a nice alliteration. At any rate, I ended up sunburned, with a couple decent starts to poems, and a first-hand view of the racism that is still rampant in this part of the country.

Social Networking in the World of Fiber



Ravelry.com sign in page

While this is sort of old news, I like to keep the Ravelympic debacle in mind while I engage in social networking. Like many of the people on Ravelry, I tend to take things near and dear to me perhaps a little too seriously. Last summer, the Olympics occurred, and the popular Ravelry.com website (which is a social networking site that caters to knitters, crocheters, spinners, and weavers) came under fire from USOC for some of the members hosting “games” to complete before the end of the Olympics. Many of the members on Ravelry fought back. While some used nasty comments, I found it humorous that others petitioned to bribe popular satirist Stephen Colbert with a lifetime of freesocks. USOC eventually issued a sort of apology, and the whole issue was largely forgotten.

Introduction to Mrs. Carter

Crochet Beanie: Woooo Pig Soooie

I am happily married and have been for nearly four years. I would have no qualms about being a Susie Homemaker for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, in these economic times, it just does not seem feasible. I attend a state university by the name of Henderson. I study Spanish, because it has been the only constant thing in my life. I am enamored by the language, and consider it a personal obsession. I also find myself obsessed with quality yarn with which I create things. Some of these things I sell in an etsy shop at http://stitchinstyles.etsy.com.