Everything was Goodbye – When all you’re left with are the memories

Hello dear readers - friends or strangers,

After I did my first review, on Sarah’s Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay it took me a few days until I picked up another book, even though at the moment I have lots of them lined up for me. I almost didn't start reading again. I felt lazy, but mostly, I think I didn't want to deal with the risk of starting a book I wouldn't feel drawn to. Fortunately, I have made this blog and all I kept thinking of was how I have to keep it going.

I started reading this book before but for some reason I put it down. So, this time I just picked it up and here I am, ready to tell you about it!

Everything Was Goodbye, by Gurjinder Basran is a book that takes place in Canada, 1990, in the house of an Indian girl. She has five sisters, her father died when she was very young and her mother tries her hardest to raise her girls under the Indian tradition. But Meena, the main character, is not a typical Indian girl. She is a rebel – but not to the fullest, she is a punk music listener, and she does not feel Indian - Meena is Canadian. Occidental.

Her best friend is Liam, a boy from school and neighbour. They have a special relationship, based on not knowing and not asking questions. Meena is a girl who constantly fights with who she is and who she should be. Years pass by, people come and go in her life, and she reaches a point where the only choice is to surrender to the life an Indian woman must follow.

I was very frustrated with her character, because whenever you thought she would put her foot in the door, she would only go half way. That’s why I said she wasn't a rebel to the fullest - because her mind was thinking all the right things, but she was lacking courage. I feel sorry for her, because I really believed she would step up for herself, and live the way she felt she should.

This book definitely has a topic that I enjoyed. I like reading about other cultures, especially Arabic and Indian. It is a sad story, as the title says it too, but it’s worth reading. It teaches you to choose at the right time, and yes, life gives you second changes, but they might be short. I recommend this book to all the readers who are interested in knowing how life is outside ours. The way it is in other homes, in other cultures…

Have you read this book before? If yes, I'd like to know what you think about it, and if you haven't, does it sound like something you might chose off the bookshelf?