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What the Body Remembers

What the Body Remembers

by Shauna Singh Baldwin

Knopf Canada | September 12, 2000 | Trade Paperback

Based on 50 ratings | Rate this
The year is 1937, and Roop, a sixteen-year-old Sikh girl from a small village in Northwestern India, has just been married to Sardarji, a wealthy man in his forties. She is a second wife, married without a dowry in the hope that she will bear children, because Sardarji's first wife, Satya, a proud, beautiful, combative woman whom he deeply loves, is childless. The wedding has been conducted in haste, and kept secret from Satya until after the fact. Angered and insulted, she does little to disguise her hatred of Roop, and secretly plans to be rid of her after she has served her purpose and given Sardarji a son.

Besides being a landowner, Sardarji is an Oxford-educated engineer, who hopes that he can help India modernize. As a rising man in the Indian Irrigation Department, he works with British engineers, designing canals to help Indian farmers grow food for the country, and hydro dams to bring even greater prosperity by producing electric power. The British have promised India independence some day, but the timing and conditions of their departure have not yet been settled. Sardarji is instinctively conservative and believes that it is better to work with the British rulers than to agitate against them. But many others are working to drive the British out. Unfortunately, the leaders of the independence movement, in arousing nationalistic emotions, are also deepening the the religious divisions between the Hindu and Muslim populations - if India is free, which religion will be the dominant force? The Sikh community, to which Roop, Sardarji and Satya belong, is linked with the Hindus by their common history and some shared traditions, but the Sikhs also have historical grievances against the other religious communities. Intolerance and hatred are growing and the stage is set for bloody conflict.
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All reviews of What the Body Remembers

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    Extraordinary Read
    by Sue Demitropoulos
    7 years ago

    A beautiful, resonating book full of realized characters that linger with you long after you've finished reading. I loved how the story was told from different characters' point of view so that it was multi-dimensional. The description of the events surrounding Partision was chilling and haunting.

  • Anonymous

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    A Must Read!
    by Anonymous
    7 years ago

    Baldwin's "What the Body Remembers" is the story of two women married to the same man. The author does an excellent job of developing the relationship between the reader and both women, leaving the reader feeling torn between the characters. This is a fantastic story and should be on every fiction lovers list of books to read!

  • kendra

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    Fantastic
    by kendra
    8 years ago

    Fantastic! Your jacket cover caught my eye, your storyline hooked me, the story was delightful and I am a huge fan. KP

  • SPS Sidhu

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    Déjà vu!!
    by SPS Sidhu
    12 years ago

    Although Shauna Singh's main focus is on the position of women in pre-partition period (1930-1948) in the northeastern part of India, she accomplishes a lot more. My understanding about India's partition was refreshed from a different perspective. Increased my limited vocabulary by providing words to numerous vernacular expressions. Last but not least, this books gives an unbiased narration of the society, events and morals. A must for everybody, who has a slightest link to Punjab.

  • Sonali Karnick

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    Women Fighting Acceptance
    by Sonali Karnick
    12 years ago

    The contradictory role of women is seen through the eyes and bodies of Roop and Satya in Shauna Singh Baldwin's &quot;What the Body Remembers&quot;. <BR>As a second wife, Roop has to earn everyone's respect by producing an heir for Sardarji, her husband. The reader almost feels like screaming with the characters in frustration in this novel as the lives of these women are explored through their experiences. The evolution of India as an independent state is a very interesting sub-plot of book as the reader follows the separation of religion and the Indian sub-continent.

  • Lynn

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    An Excellent Novel
    by Lynn
    12 years ago

    I picked this book up randomly in a bookstore, and after reading the first five pages, I knew I had to finish it. It's an excellent novel, full of rich characters set against a turbulent time in India. There's lots of action, romance, and emotion in here, and I found it difficult to put down. The plot drags a bit at the three-quarter mark, but then picks right up to wrap up with a spectacular, wrenching ending. Shauna Singh Baldwin doesn't disappoint at all -- I'll be looking forward to her future stories.

  • Parambir Singh

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    Awesome
    by Parambir Singh
    12 years ago

    Simply put I loved this novel. Ms. Baldwin has done an amazing job at writing a compassionate contemporary novel on gender issues in Indian families (generally speaking of course)

  • Zoe Schuler

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    Amazing!
    by Zoe Schuler
    13 years ago

    This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. So satisfying, the writing so descriptive, I could see everything happening! The emotions the characters experiences were so real, it left me stunned. I understand the Indian culture so much better than before, now that I've read this book. I couldn't get the characters out of my mind, and was so sad when I finished reading it. Can't wait for her next book!

  • Lorna Singh

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    Words can't describe!!
    by Lorna Singh
    13 years ago

    One of the best books that I have read - will love to read it over.. and over! Once I started reading I couldn't stop! What I liked most about this book was that is was so full of emotion - it felt so real. I can't wait until her next book comes out...

  • Wendy Wilson

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    What the Body Remembers
    by Wendy Wilson
    13 years ago

    I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it's very well written. The story is engrossing from the start. I learned a lot about the differences between the Muslim, Hindu and Sikh religions in an easy to remember format. Also, the book is written from a female view. Quite an education.

  • Theresa Conlin

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    Excellent
    by Theresa Conlin
    13 years ago

    I too heard excerpts on the CBC and I was not disappointed!This book gave me insight into cultural practices through the narrative of one family's life in India.It is set during a very turbulent time in this country, so through my reading I also learned more about this time in history!It's a wonderful read--I highly recommend it!

  • Nicci

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    Extremely Engaging
    by Nicci
    13 years ago

    What the Body Remembers is an beautifully written book with a memorable and believable story. I listened to a number of the chapters read aloud on CBC radio and purchased the book based on what I'd heard. I was not disappointed!

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