Renuka

Book excerpt: The Friendship Between Renuka, A Bengali Poet, And Rachel, An American Missionary, Lies At The Heart Of This Novel. Two Women From Entirely Different Backgrounds, They Share A Bond That Overcomes The Barriers Of Nationality, Race And Religion. Both Are Exiled To A Hill Station, Which Is Populated With Provincial And Prudish Memsahibs, Who Adjust Their Recipes To Compensate For The Altitude And Substitute Ingredients From Home. While Rachel S Husband Works At A Psychiatric Hospital In The Plains, In Ranchi, She Looks After Their Sons Who Attend A Mission School In The Hills. While Editing A Cookbook, Rachel Begins To Realize The Contradictions Within Her Community. She Also Discovers The Seductive Voice Of Renuka S Poetry& Renuka, Stephen Alter S Fourth Novel, Builds To A Startling Climax, While Uncovering Hidden Truths About Love, Sexuality And Passion. In Renuka, Alter Has Drawn A Remarkable Portrait Of A Totally Credible Woman& He Captures Exactly The Love-Hate Attitudes Of Westerners Who Spend Time In The Subcontinent&A Rare Achievement To Use A Simple Framework So Effectively Sarah Curtis, Times Literary Supplement Renuka Is A Most Accomplished, Utterly Convincing Study Of Two Women Of Different Backgrounds And Contrasting Temperaments&The Book Rises To A Moving Climax, Followed By An Adagio Of Lingering Sadness Like The Aftermath Of A Disturbing Dream &By Far [Alter S] Best John Mellors Books By Stephen Alter Renuka Neglected Lives Amritsar To Lahore: Crossing The Border Between India And Pakistan All The Way To Heaven: An American Boyhood In The Himalayas Sacred Waters: A Pilgrimage To The Many Sources Of The Ganga Elephas Maximus: A Portrait Of The Indian Elephant Fantasies Of A Bollywood Love Thief: Inside The World Of Indian Moviemaking The Penguin Book Of Modern Indian Short Stories (Co-Edited) Hill Stations Are Not As Sleepy And Tranquil As They Might Seem& You Will Discover Forbidden Love And Intrigue In The Most Unlikely Places. Kipling S Mrs Hawksbee And Her Simla Crowd Would Have Approved! Ruskin Bond