Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry

I haven't enjoyed a book as much as this in ages. And the odd thing about it is I don't even consider this book "my type." I tend to like science fiction stories with strong plots - but this was all about the characters.

And characters indeed! The forever likable and affable Nariman, the sharp tongued and clear headed Yezad who drifts astray as the book proceeds, selfish and despicable Coomy, and angelic little Jal. The characters were so human and so believable, and their conversations were so interesting and just plain funny! I haven't laughed out loud so often with a book in a long time, such as Jal being so pleased when he was able to use one of his grandfather's phases, as children often do.

One of the themes in the book was corruption. It took you deep inside the dead-end job of Yezad as manager of a sports good store - everyone expected Yezad to scoop a little profit from under the table, including his boss, but he never did out of honor. And it did him no good - in the end he loses his job in a belittling manner. Jal becomes a homework monitor in his teacher's attempt at showing the children how to form their own perfect society - but ends up taking money from other children for their grades in order to give it to his father to pay the bills. It was interesting because in the end, I was really wishing Yezad would just give it up and take some of the money - but I think that was the point of the author, to show how corruption is so deeply ingrained in Indian society that it can come to almost anyone and it's very hard to get out of that rut.

There were other themes - religion, old age, family. I was touched by the family's care for Nariman, even in very difficult times. I was sad to see religion estrange Yezad from his family, and turn him into everything he hated as a younger man. Maybe it was his way of dealing with his failures in life.

I feel like this is a book you could get more and more from each time you read, and that it would be enjoyable each time.

Ratiing: 4/4 (one of my favorite books, would gladly read again).