This Red Line Goes Straight to Your Heart: A Memoir in Halves by Madhur Anand



This memoir was like no other memoir I’ve ever read; the flow, format and writing stood out immediately, I was blown away with it all. It’s written beautifully and is so unique, I loved the separate parts which ultimately provided so much more information that we otherwise might not have been given. Madhur Anand tells her family's stories with vivid details of her parent's life, the two meeting, and their overall journey through it all, the good and the bad. She does not shy away from her thoughts and feelings during the second part. I absolutely loved the first part which alternated between her mother and father detailing their life experiences, immigration, marriage, children, etc. It was fascinating reading about Ontario, and places I I've lived (there’s a school mentioned that’s a 10 or so minute walk from me, which I found pretty neat – my brother went there!) Overall, I really enjoyed this memoir.



Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Canada for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Basically a memoir of a Canadian/Indian's family on partition and how it affected their lives. I found the writing disjointed and sometimes ungrammatical. Not a book I would purchase. Only my opinion.

This memoir by Madhur Anand is written differently than any other memoir I've read. I like that it is described as being a memoir in halves as the story is told alternating between a man and a woman. This Red Line Goes Straight to Your Heart begins in Delhi, India. The Partition of India in 1947 has separated India into two separate states, India and Pakistan. Many families were displaced refugees.

We first meet a man telling of his childhood. A life made more difficult because of polio which left him with a limp and made him the target of ridicule and teasing even by his own family. Despite that he is very intelligent especially in math and science. He eventually gets a visa to move to Canada, but he must marry first.

We meet a young woman interested in science who is choosing education and work over marriage until she actually does get married which will mean changinher life forever.

As this man and his wife, Nirmal are united in Canada in the late 1960's, over a year after their wedding, we journey with them as they adjust to a new life, - the culture, food, jobs and weather. Not to mention a new marriage with someone who is virtually a stranger and a growing family.

This memoir touched upon a lot of themes. It is about family, marriage, loss, grief, loneliness, mental illness, racism, immigration and overcoming obstacles.

There were some beautiful prose in the writing; some phrases were poetic. Throughout the story, scientific or mathematical explanations were made which I found distracting. There were gaps in the story, which might be because there are gaps in the knowledge of family history, but there is definitely room to explore more here. Since it was told by two different points of view, there were times something would be mentioned by one person then never be referred to or brought up again. Some of it seemed significant and it felt like there were some loose ends.

I enjoyed learning of the traditions of India and comparing that to Canada. There were some interesting parallels drawn between the partition in India and the partition that exists in Canada between white and indigenous peoples. As some of the book takes place near Thunder Bay there was some less well known Canadian history touched upon I thought noteworthy which is the prisoner of war internment camps near Marathon, ON that existed in the 1940's. As a Canadian, I don't think too many people know that part of our history.

There is a lot to take away from this memoir and if Madhur Anand writes anymore non-fiction or fiction, I would check it out.

Bookworm Rating: 🐛🐛🐛🌱


Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

This Red Line Goes Straight to Your Heart: A Memoir in Halves by Madhur Anand is a beautifully written memoir mixing a family's history with art and science and producing a fascinating and highly readable memoir. It is marked by partitions in country between India and Pakistan, in family between husband and wife, between wife and husband's family, and between parents born in the Punjab and their daughter born in Canada, in memory, religion, and in art and science when love and grief intersect and collide.

It is a complex story about a family that I found easy to care for and to sympathize with. My only quibble was the ending that seemed abrupt but perhaps that was because I was not ready to say goodbye. I don't read a lot of memoirs but this is one I know I will add to my very short list of books that I will read many many times.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>