by Andrea GunrajNew Face of Fiction Series
Knopf Canada
~ Review in Halifax Herald, April 2009
Neela and Navi live with their grandmother in Marasaw, a small village in Guyana. Their mother is abroad, bringing up someone else’s children to send money home. Neela’s jealousy of her brother’s achievements soon crosses the line from sibling rivalry to hatred. Mutual antipathy pushes them apart.
Navi leaves his home village to study in England, where he shapes a successful life. Neela leaves also, taking up with a man whose rise in the ruling junta fills her life with fear, corruption and violence. After her daughter is born, her sense of disquiet builds. “I feel his hatred,” she says. She takes the baby and flees back to Marasaw. Three years later, her daughter disappears, and despair forces her to examine her life and actions. She comes to understand that somehow she has orchestrated her own misfortune and is paralyzed by guilt and shame. Her friend, Baby, writes to Navi. “We can’t find Seetha and we don’t know what to do.” Her simple letter summons him home.
The Sudden Disappearance of Seetha reflects the storytelling tradition of a culture where a curse is to be taken seriously and malice can be projected onto the life of another. The setup of events as we watch the story unfold is quiet and the storytelling style lets the reader observe the complicated lives and problems. When Seetha disappears, the story and style shift, taking on an urgency that is compelling as we are pulled deep into the lives of Neela, Navi and Baby.
Andrea Gunraj was born in Guyana and moved to Canada with her parents. She is a community outreach worker and lives and works in Toronto.
