The Unexpected Son by Shobhan Bantwal... A Review

The Unexpected Son by Shobhan Bantwal...

An Expected Pleasure!

When I was asked if I'd like to review Shobhan Bantwal's new novel, The Unexpected Son, I jumped at the chance! Shobhan is such a wonderful storyteller! She creates amazingly realistic characters, wonderful rich complicated stories that touch the reader in so many ways. The Unexpected Son does not disappoint on any of these levels! The story is rich with Indian culture, the voice of a young girls heart, and a mothers sense of duty...

"

What happens when a woman who’s realized her dreams wakes up to a shocking truth? It is a morning like any other in suburban New Jersey when Vinita Patil opens the battered envelope postmarked “Mumbai.” But the letter inside turns her comfortable world upside down. It tells Vinita an impossible story: she has a grown son in India whose life may depend on her.

Once upon a time, a naive young college girl fell for a wealthy boy whose primary interests were cricket and womanizing. Vinita knew, even then, that a secret affair with a man whose language and values were different from her own was a mistake. He finished with her soon enough—leaving her to birth a baby that was stillborn. Or so Vinita was told.

Now that child is a grown man in desperate need. How will she confess her secret past to her arranged-marriage husband and her grown daughter? Nonetheless, to help her son, to know him, Vinita must revisit her darkest hours by returning to her battle-scarred homeland—and pray for the faith of the family she leaves behind."

Oh the foolishness of youth. But oh, what a wonderful story! Imagine holding onto a secret for 30 years only to find out you were not the only one holding onto a secret. When Vinita Patil receives a letter from Mumbai, little does she realize that her world will never be the same. Vinita is such a wonderful character! She is such a strong independent woman, torn between her modern sensibilities and the traditions of her upbringing. The story follows her from a serious young 19-year-old college girl, who has little time for boys. Her studies are important to her, in order to break free from the traditional views of a woman's place in her society and in order to honor her family with good grades. But then there's this boy... He's a bad boy... and he slowly seduces Vinita with his attentions and sweet talk and then... you guessed it... "something" happens. Vinita is pregnant, unwed, dumped and an emotional wreck. The men in her family decide what to do- which is to whisk her away to Bombay, where no one will know her, keeping the family honor, and where she is told by her family that her baby was born stillborn. If the story were only one of a son showing up on a birth mother's doorstep unexpected, it would be a good story. But, in the hands a Shobhan Bantwal you can expect so much more! And it all starts with that mysterious letter...

With the skills of Shobhan Bantwal's writing, we experience the culture of India through the eyes and ears of Vinita Patil. The traditional place of women, family honor, dating, marriage... The shame that Vinita carries through out her life is tempered by her happy marriage to her modern Indian husband (their courtship was a wonderful part of the story) and daughter, but the happiness she finds there will be shaken with the news of a son... The relationships between the members of Vinita's family are rich and complex, and as family secrets are revealed Vinita's strength of character shines through.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters came alive off the pages, the story captured my attention, and I loved the traditional Indian culture that served as the core of the story and as the basis for the relationships between the family members. There is a wealth of book to discuss here, and it would definitely make a perfect reading group selection. Readers who enjoy stories that deal with the inner conflict between a modern world and traditional cultural values will want to put this on their TBR list, but anyone who enjoys a great story, with a strong female lead character will want to too! I couldn't help myself and read it in one sitting!

I want to thank Jaime of Pump up Your Book Promotions for inviting me to participate in Shobhan Bantwal's Book Tour for The Unexpected Son! Loved it!

*P.S. The Unexpected Son by Shobhan Bantwal was released at the beginning of August by Kensington Books. AND Right now, The Unexpected Son is Kindle Ready! at the great price of $7.99!

Guest Post with Helen Brown, author of Cleo: The Cat Who Mended a Family

Helen Brown, author of Cleo: The Cat Who Mended a Family, stops by Chick with Books today to share a rare insight into how she dealt with the devastating sudden loss of her nine-year-old son Sam. In her memoir, Cleo, we learn of how a day can start out more or less like every other day you've already lived through, but can end so differently. When a little black kitten arrives at her doorstep, it was like a small miracle and the beginning of the healing of Helen's family. Cleo is already an international bestseller, and "is a tribute to the healing power of animals, friendship and families." Written from Helen Brown's heart, Cleo, will warm your heart. Helen believes anyone who has suffered loss can relate to her story and her answers here. Without further ado, let me welcome Helen Brown to Chick with Books...

Q: Did your close friends respond to your tragedy in the way you hoped or were they too intimidated to know how to approach you?

A: We were in such a state of shock I had no expectations of anyone at the time. The only previous experience of death I’d had was of elderly relatives. Losing Sam was out of my realms of understanding.

Friends responded in different ways. Some stayed away, not knowing what to say. Others came and wept at our house, almost asking comfort from us, which was draining. A few used the opportunity to relate their own experiences of losing an old aunt or uncle. Some quoted passages from the Bible. None of these responses was particularly helpful.

I understand all these reactions now and forgive them completely. I would have been equally useless back then. Everyone meant well and it was almost impossible for them to know how to help – particularly back in 1983 when grief counselling barely existed.

The wisest people knew instinctively that our needs were simple. We needed them to be there, to visit the house, but not for too long. To hold us and let us weep; quietly put the kettle on; or offer to take our surviving son Rob on an outing. I know plates of food seem a cliché, but the casseroles and cakes were genuinely helpful. The house was always full of people during the days after Sam’s death. They all wanted to eat.

Q : Was it difficult for you to ask for help?

A: Yes, it was because I had no idea what sort of help I needed. I thought the pain would last forever and my life was over. Over and over again people said “Let me know if there’s anything I can do”. I know they were sincere but I was too bewildered to have any idea what needed “doing”.

Q. Were you at any time angry with the world or envious of the lives of friends that appeared so much easier than yours?

A: Absolutely. The anger was irrational for several months. It rose like molten lava in me if I saw one of Sam’s friends at the supermarket. Every other family I saw seemed smug and untouched by pain. It took a while to come to terms with my own rage and understand nobody escapes loss and pain in their lives. If I was looking for proof all I had to do was open a newspaper.

About Cleo from the Publisher... Helen Brown had no intention of adopting a pet when she brought her sons, Sam and Rob, to visit a friend's new kittens. But the runt of the litter was irresistible, with her overlarge ears and dainty chin... When Cleo was delivered weeks later, she had no way of knowing that her new family had just been hit by a tragedy. Helen was sure she couldn't keep her-until she saw something she thought had vanished from the earth forever: her son's smile. The reckless, rambunctious kitten stayed... Through happiness and heartbreak, changes and new beginnings, Cleo turned out to be the unlikely glue the affectionately held Helen's family together. Rich in wisdom, wit, heart, and healing, here is the story of a cat with an extraordinary gift for knowing just where she was needed the

most.

Helen Brown is from New Zealand, where she worked as a journalist, TV presenter, and scriptwriter. Now living in Melbourne, Australia, with her family, Helen has been voted Columnist of the Year several times. Cleo rose to the top of the bestseller lists in its first few weeks in the UK, New Zealand, and Australia and has been translated into more than eight languages. Cleo's US debut was August 31st, and is now available from your local book seller!

I want to thank Helen Brown for stopping by Chick with Books and sharing such an intimate part of her life with us. The honesty of her feelings can only help others who have suffered similar loss. Stop back Sept. 13th for my full review of Cleo by Helen Brown.

First Lines...

"There was something odd about it, despite its plain and inconsequential appearance. Vinita gazed at the mystery envelope for a long moment, weighed it in the palm of her hand. Her instincts were prickling. It went beyond mere feminine intuition..."

...The Unexpected Son by Shobhan Bantwal (just released earlier this month!)