The Hero's Walk
By Anita Rau Badami
About the Author
About the Book
Published:
2000
Setting:The story begins on a July morning in a small, dusty town of India. Most of the story takes place here. However for a period of time the novel's setting takes place in Vancouver, Canada.
Dynamic Characters:
The characters in The Hero's Walk all face the difficulty of changing their lives when tragedy strikes. Each must learn to adapt and change the way that he/she thinks about life.
Humor Aspects:
Old traditional ways of India clash with modern-day youthful attitudes to create humor.
Multicultural Elements:
The novel takes the reader around the globe. Written by an Indian author and having a setting in both Canada and India, the reader is shown the cultural diversity of the world. The reader sees the difference of social dynamics and ways of life that make up our world today.
Relatable:
The novel contains elements in which any teen can relate to. In the novel the characters are faced with defying mom and dad and having a difference in opinions. The child characters in The Hero's Walk all face the difficulty of deciding whether to do what they love or what mom and dad want them to do.
The Plot
Sripathi Rao's life grows more and more difficult with each passing day. He struggles to make a living as a copyist and constantly feuds with his family. Sripathi has betrayed his mother by not become a lawyer. His family consists of a son, who is interested in saving the world and not getting a job, a daughter who has defied tradition and married a white husband, an unmarried sister growing older and less desirable each day, and a wife who blames him for not speaking to his daughter, plus the crazy neighbor next door.
A phone call however, will change the Rao family forever. Tragedy has struck across the globe in Canada and Maya has been killed, along with her husband. Sripathi soon becomes responsible for little Nadana, Maya's daughter and travels to Vancouver in order to bring her home to India with him. The only problem; Sripathi has never met her. Terrified, Nadana will not speak. With Sripathi's life collapsing before his eyes, the novel takes the reader through India in a search of the hope and the meaning of family.
Will Nadana ever speak and get accustomed to India? Will Sripathi learn to moved on and forget the past and accept people for who they are/