@Just_A_Mom you mentioned you came from that part of the world, your grandparents spoke of the times -
If you feel comfortable, I’m sure many of us welcome your views and insights, what you would like to share. I have much to learn.
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We can start thinking about our December selection at any time (while also continuing this discussion for those who still have comments).
@ jerseysouthmomchess Thank you for reminding me to follow up!
I enjoyed the novel and really did not want to put it down until I finished. All the Tagore poetry and songs referenced in the novel were very nostalgic for me (I paused my reading to hum the songs), The riots were described as I remember from my grandmother and father’s descriptions. They had a rough trek from Dacca to West Bengal (Kolkata) where they had to build their lives again from scratch. My father was twenty-one, uncle – eighteen, and my aunt was three. They had to abandon their homes and all possessions and travelled with only a few suitcases. During my childhood, I met several of my father’s close Muslim friends who remain in Bangladesh (East Pakistan at that time); they were like family, and the pointlessness of dividing a nation bothers me to this day.
The instances in the novel where ordinary Hindus and Muslims are coexisting and helping each other is how I believe the society was functioning at the grassroots level. The strife is ignited by the few belonging to ultra-conservative wings of both religions, and by politicians.
I do have a few places I felt were a bit unrealistic in the novel. Deepa’s deception is rather unbelievable. She would have been discovered just by the lack of knowledge of Muslim culture and rituals during normal conversations with the community members at the very early stages. Also, Jamini seamlessly taking Deepa’s place at the concert and having exactly the same singing voice is a bit far-fetched.
My father died in 1992 and my recollection of the conversations with him are fuzzy on the details now. My aunt is still living, and I have been meaning to call her after reading “Independence.” If she shares anything interesting—I will post again.
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I do appreciate your summary and review. Interesting, as a Muslim, you didn’t feel the author painted a negative view, and depicted events as you heard.
You knew the songs described, incredible!
I view the history of the partition, as monumental as our civil war, and my ignorance of those times, the significance to the region is embarrassing to admit.
Thank you for sharing, and anything your aunt would like to share would be enriching.
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One thing this book highlighted for me: Separating one country into two arbitrarily is never a good idea.
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@jerseysouthmomchess Sorry for not being clear…I am not Muslim. I was trying to say that my dad, a Hindu, had many Muslim friends who were like family.
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@VeryHappy Totally agree!
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I usually go back to the previous discussion and list the books not picked. I’m not going that route because none seem right for various reasons, first and foremost because we’ve already considered them for a while. Example: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow @Mary13 already called last time on it last time; and a number of us have read The Marriage Portrait already. Maybe Solito … I don’t know.
So (drum roll, please): Suggested for the first time
Homecoming - Kate Morton. Mystery and this caught my eye: Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959.
Fellowship Point - Alice Elliott Dark. Mentioned several times on the Best Book thread. We had luck choosing The Latecomer that way.
I’ve read neither book so have no particular insight on whether or not they’re good for discussion. Reviews are good though and neither sounds depressing enough to dampen holiday spirits.
Other than that I have nothing.
Thanks for clarifying I misunderstood!
The next book for my RL Book Club is “All the Broken Places: A Novel” by John Boyne.
@ignatius Funny you should mention “Homecoming” – I’m currently reading “The Secret Keeper” by Kate Morton. Amazingly, it’s not for any of my Book Clubs.
@Just_A_Mom, thank you for this insider perspective!
My daughter-in-law’s family is from India – she was born in the U.S., but her parents were not. Her grandparents would have been in their mid-20’s during Partition. Next time we’re together, I will have to ask her if they ever talked about that time.
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Homecoming by Kate Morton.
Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark.
All the Broken Places by John Boyne
Other ideas?
Hopefully more ideas are forthcoming, as I - with all due respect to @CBBBlinker - am vetoing All the Broken Places. It evidently follows The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, which I haven’t read. I don’t like picking up a sequel without reading the first one.
And my library site lists the following as its subject matter:
Abusive men
Auschwitz (Concentration camp)
Children of Nazis
Concentration camps
Death of family members
Family violence
Guilt
Holocaust (1933-1945)
New neighbors
Psychic trauma
Remorse
Secrets
Third Reich, 1933-1945
Widows
Reading a book about the atrocities of WWII so soon after reading The Alice Network 
I know Boyne is a good writer. I heard really good things about his The Heart’s Invisible Furies, though never got around to reading it. Still I officially veto All the Broken Places. @CBBBlinker let us know how you and your book club like it.
This is what we had left after last time (and why I didn’t list the books again earlier):
The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
Solito by Javier Zamora
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
@Marilyn more or less vetoed In Five Years; @Mary13 called last time for Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow as a number of us have read it. Ditto The Marriage Portrait. The Hacienda is good with its haunted house etc and would have worked better in Oct than Dec. Maybe next year.
I will sit out next time if we read a book about the holocaust. Just hitting too close to home with what’s happening in Israel for me.
I just finished Fellowship Point and loved it.
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Consider this: The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson. It’s fiction, about climate change and what the world can do about it. I absolutely hated it when I read it for another book club – how’s that for a resounding recommendation? – but since then I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s powerful and very provocative.
What about *Remarkedly Bright Creatures * by Shelby Van Pelt? It isn’t too long and everyone I know who has read it loves it.
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I remember that you sometimes have trouble getting books through your library system. If you have that one available, yay! And I’ve heard nothing but good things about it.
I didn’t think you liked hard science fiction. Then again you hated it when you read it. 
Well, I don’t like aliens and weird stuff. But this isn’t science fiction per se – it’s fiction, with a lot of science, but it’s not science fiction!
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Re: “All the Broken Places” – I didn’t know the book is a sequel. I just looked it up and found a couple articles calling this book a “sort of” sequel to “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.” “The Boy” is described as a children’s fable. Apparently a main character in “The Boy” is the brother of a main character in “All the Broken Places.” As for timing – I tend to agree with you, @momofboiler1, but my Book Club chooses books several months ahead. We meet next week.
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