Fasting, Feasting is a 1999 novel by Indian writer Anita Desai. It is about two very different cultures and families, one in India and the other in America.The story alternates between the two families. The Indian family is the Patels, a large, close-knit family living in a small town. The father is a government worker and the mother is a housewife. The family is traditional and the children are expected to marry young and have families of their own.The other family is the Umrigars, an upper-middle class family living in Boston. The father is a successful businessman and the mother is a stay-at-home mom. The children are much more independent and have more opportunities.The two families are very different, but they share one thing in common: they both have daughters who are coming of age.Mukta, the Patel daughter, is eighteen and has just finished high school. She is expected to marry a boy her parents have chosen for her. However, Mukta is not ready for marriage and she does not want to leave her family.Uma, the Umrigar daughter, is also eighteen. She is a student at Smith College and is very independent. Uma is struggling to find her place in the world and to figure out who she is.The two girls are very different, but they are both searching for the same thing: a place where they belong.Fasting, Feasting is a novel about family, culture, and identity. It is a story of two very different girls who are trying to find their way in the world.
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