Reviewed by Julie Rajan

In light of current political, religious, and social tensions in India and Pakistan, a more appropriate title for Bapsi Sidhwa’s third novel, Cracking India (originally Ice Candy Man), could easily have been, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Ironically, its adaptation in the recently released film, Earth, by Deepa Mehta, attests to its timeliness. Set in 1940’s India, during the time of independence and the partition, Cracking India brings to life the deeply religious, national, social, and economic tensions marking both historical and current Indo-Pak political dynamics. 

Sidhwa’s genius lies in her juxtaposition of the themes of innocence and experience in Cracking India. Revealed through the naïve observations of the young Parsi girl, Lenny, startling images of violence, fear, and hatred intensify considerably for readers. The co-mingling of innocence and experience allow the reader to view this extremely confusing and unstable chapter of Indian history through a simpler lens, a more objective voice. The people in Lenny’s life are reduced to physical or spiritual characteristics. The Ice Candy Man sells ice cream and candy; Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs are defined primarily by the hatred they espouse, making each of them equally disturbing to the young narrator’s mind. Religion is reduced to a superficial label, as characters easily switch from one to the other. But don’t let the simplicity of the novel fool you. Simple, it is not. The simplicity of the narrator’s view serves to exaggerate the extreme complexity of the times. The simplicity of the plot puts a human face on the multitudes of suffering people who lived through these times. Sidhwa has done a wonderful job of  bringing the confusion and immense impact of social and cultural change upon the individual life of a small girl. In fact, her childhood images are viewed through the lens of her climate-- i.e. her relationships, her understanding of the world, and her self-awareness are dependent upon the events of her time. Hence, it is obvious that she will be forever scarred by it.

Sidhwa’s true skill also lies in the layering of plots and sub-plots. Focused centrally on Lenny, the novel boasts a series of sub-plots, each competing throughout the novel for the center stage. Perhaps the most entertaining and alluring sub-plot is that of the love story between the Muslim Ice Candy Man and the beautiful Hindu Ayah. In addition, many of the plots are left unresolved, leaving the reader with a sense of loss or lack of closure – mirroring the experience many people during this time must have had. 

For all of its great qualities, the novel contains certain problematic areas.  At times, I found the sexual imagery too graphic. At first, the images seemed to protrude randomly and oddly throughout the novel. Perhaps they were inserted at these strange points as a means of revealing the dynamics of power, which interplay in the novel. Regardless, the novel could have done just as well, perhaps even better, without them. 

In addition, if you are looking to the novel for an accurate historical account, this is not the novel for you. The gist of this novel is not to be a monolith of correct factual information---in fact the novel has been criticized for being historically inaccurate in certain cases. It is possible that the inaccuracies of the novel seemed appropriate to the author because the story is narrated by a young girl who might recognize the emotional impact of an event rather than its historical details.

The modern applicability of this novel is also important to make note of. The lessons taught by this novel are universal and could be applied to almost any current political situation around the world, from the problems of Northern Ireland to those in Kosovo. The title of the novel pointedly reveals the very worst and best natures of the human race as we struggle with the intricacies of life.

The novel deals with a monumental and potent slice of Indian history. Through Cracking India, Bapsi Sidhwa has indeed brought to life the spiritual, emotional, and very real implications of the partition of India. In so doing, she has “cracked” the riddle of India and revealed to us the cultural difficulties that plagued South Asia before, during, and after its split from the British and the creation of Pakistan.

I recommend this novel and encourage anyone to read it, if for no other reason than simply that it is one of the few works on this topic. I also favor it because it may call readers to view religion and social status in their own lives in new and different ways.