Motherland: A Memoir of Love, Loathing, and Longing

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It’s a tough act to pull off, but Franqui pulls it off. I loved the way the relationship developed between Rachel and Swati. And that’s what is the heart of the book.

Let me also clear that “𝙎𝙡𝙪𝙢𝙙𝙤𝙜 𝙈𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙤���𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙚” DOES NOT DEFINE INDIA WHICH IS MADE BY A BRITISH DIRECTOR. But it’s also a phenomenally strange novel, maybe one of the most repetitive I’ve ever read, with words (indirection, teasing, frugal), accusations and anecdotes recurring to the point of fatigue. Is this an echo of the nature of family life, of our ability to nurse grudges and fuel hobbyhorses, or just writerly indiscipline? Is Theroux evoking a son’s obsessive quest for his mother’s love, or is he fantastically unaware of her as a person who exists outside of him? Mother Land, despite its author’s fondness for an anthropological stance, does not allow us to see: but perhaps it never could. The problem with moving was that it made you alien. Everyone was a stranger, and you were the invader, the outsider, the one desperate to achieve closeness with others.”Franqui handles these conflicts deftly, keeping the mood of the book light, without undermining the seriousness of her topic. Mother Land is a delightful read, which will leave readers knowing more about themselves as well as about Franqui's characters. Cultural cannibals, she liked to call them, people so in love with another culture that they wanted to become a part of it. Expats in Paris who said things like My soul is French and really believed them, deeply. When it came to India, that desire for ingestion took the form of a devotion to faux-Hindu wisdom, declamations in praise of the “spiritualism” and “simplicity” of the people, and the burning of a great deal of incense. Leah Franqui had me in awe for much of the book - her rendering of India, especially Mumbai, was so nuanced and perceptive. Her voice is unique: we get to see India through the eyes of Rachel, a Jewish American, married to Dhruv, and her mother-in-law, Swati. It feels like a love letter to a misunderstood city with its lush descriptions of food, people, and culture. She also dives into the complexities of marriage, friendship and family. What it means to be a woman and have courage to speak up and ask for what you want. To look inside yourself for your needs.

Julia meets a former colleague, Caroline, outside the gates of her children's primary school. Caroline does not remember Julia. However, Julia is keen to impress her, so Julia becomes involved in a school fundraiser which Caroline is organising, despite Julia hating such things. Kevin becomes a "human cloakroom", wearing several coats simultaneously, causing him to become uncomfortably hot. Liz puts a great deal of alcohol in the punch. A "promise auction" leaves Amanda red-faced.Heartfelt, charming, deeply insightful and wise, Mother Land introduces us to two complex women from very different cultures . . . who maybe have more in common than they realize. Critical Praise A story of friendship and self-discovery told from the point of view of alternating characters, Rachel and Swarti. We follow two different personal journeys, a native to the country of India and a foreigner who through different circumstances have been thrown together. After losing her mother's help with childcare, Julia faces a far bigger role in her children's lives than before. She initially tries to become part of the Alpha Mums group, but realises she has more in common with parenting "misfits" Liz and Kevin. She has two children: Ivy and James, and is married to Paul.