Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Anchor (2005), Edition: First Edition, 356 pages
Description
Sexy, surprising, and subversively wise, Babyji is the story of Anamika Sharma, a spirited student growing up in Delhi. At school she is an ace at quantum physics. At home she sneaks off to her parents’ scooter garage to read the Kamasutra. Before long she has seduced an elegant older divorcée and the family servant, and has caught the eye of a classmate coveted by all the boys. With the world of adulthood dancing before her, Anamika confronts questions that would test someone twice her age. Ebullient, unfettered, and introducing one of the most charming heroines in contemporary fiction, Babyji is irresistible.
User reviews
LibraryThing member lorax
I expected to like this book, and I really wanted to -- Indian food, quantum mechanics, and babydykes, what's not to like? I started this book, about a lesbian high-schooler in Delhi, with high hopes. However, I found it flat and disappointing. Sixteen-year-old Anamika was a very realistically
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portrayed smart teenager: self-centered, convinced she was the first person ever to discover passion, and full of grandiose theories about how the world works. Despite or because of this, she really wasn't very sympathetic, and the ending was rushed and unsatisfying. Show Less
LibraryThing member bluepigeon
The one thing I like about this book is that it does not shy away from sexual scenes. Not that it is full of them, but certainly they are where they should be, and perhaps more. With that said, after about half way, everything that seems entertaining and engaging turns a bit annoying. Perhaps we
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are meant to be annoyed with the 15-year-old studious girl who has too many female lovers, an older married man chasing her a la Humbert Humbert, a best friend who is infatuated with her, no wait, infatuated with one of her three female lovers... And it goes on and on. There are things the narrative does very well, like fitting everything in with the Indian caste system and its workings, with the desire of chasing an education dream abroad, with the usual stuff that happens in high schools everywhere in the world. But sometimes the events, the love affairs, the Casanova behavior seem way too incredulous. I thought of it as "OK, it's more like a fantasy a high school boy/girl would have..." but by the time the married man (who happens to be her best friend's father) started hitting on her, I was a bit tired. And the ending? Well, there is no ending. There is a big build-up to this party where all involved love interests and every other problematic person in Anamika's life will meet, aaaand... they do... aaaand it just ends. Which makes me think perhaps there is a sequel. But I am not sure if I will have the patience or energy to read it (I imagine it will be the adventures of Anamika in Amereeeeka, a liberal arts college, of course, what else? May I suggest Smith?) Show Less
LibraryThing member Maggie_Rum
I found the main character's sexual feelings and acts rather refreshing. Usually, in Indian literature, the characters find it hard to break the mold of the socially conservative Indian culture. Babyji breaks that mold, and instead of focusing on how to figure out sex and love, the book focuses
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more on Babyji's internal struggle to figure out what she wants out of life. Show Less
LibraryThing member milti
As an Indian who has grown up in a city much like Delhi, I think this book is highly unrealistic. I won't even begin to list out the deep disappointments with character and plot development. I can just point out that my dislike of this book stems from absolute non-conformity with real life and the
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author has taken way too many liberties with descriptions of Indian city life and family and school. Don't market this as an Indian story - it isn't. Show Less
LibraryThing member JeremyPreacher
I am not super excited to read about teenagers discovering their sexuality, but at least Babyji has a *lot* of sexuality to discover. The part that struck me the most was the simultaneous utter amorality and obsession with right and wrong of the narrator - I suspect all teenagers are sociopaths
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when their hormones are on the upswing. Show Less
LibraryThing member PhoenixTerran
Anamika Sharma is an intelligent and fairly precocious sixteen-year old Brahmin high school student in Delhi in the 1980s. But, she still has some room to learn and grow, especially regarding relationships and how her actions effect others. Throughout the novel she pursues three affairs, one with
The novel is engaging and addresses many issues pervading India in the 1980s and even today, such as the caste system, colonization, Westernization, and sexism. However, I found the ending to be rather anti-climatic and somewhat disappointing. After all the ups and downs of the novel, it just seemed to end without much of a sense of closure. Despite this, Babyji was a delight.
Experiments in Reading
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India, an older divorcee, one with Rani, the household's servant, and one with Sheela, a classmate who all the boys adore. Through chaos theory, physics, and mathematics, she creates her own way of understanding the world and people around her. Although lovable and idealistic, Anamika can be strong headed and at times even cruel.The novel is engaging and addresses many issues pervading India in the 1980s and even today, such as the caste system, colonization, Westernization, and sexism. However, I found the ending to be rather anti-climatic and somewhat disappointing. After all the ups and downs of the novel, it just seemed to end without much of a sense of closure. Despite this, Babyji was a delight.
Experiments in Reading
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Subjects
Awards
Lambda Literary Award (Winner — 2005)
Stonewall Book Award (Winner — 2006)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2005
ISBN
1400034566 / 9781400034567