Chetna Maroo: Western Lane Review

For November Novellas reading challenge, I chose  Western Lane by Chetna Maroo (Publisher: Picador, 2023) after it popped up on several ‘best of’ lists in addition to 2023 Booker prize short list. Told in first person point of view of an eleven year old girl, it is a grief story, a sports story and a coming of age story. It is only moderately touching either singly or in combination.  

Simply put, it is a story about the death of a parent, the family that is left behind, grief that follows and the game of squash that rescues them. Squash is both a metaphor and  a frequent plot device that moves the narrative forward. There are plenty of observations and occasional action but little direct conversation. We know very little of what is going on inside any of the character’s head. Stuck in the isolation of their grief and unable to express and share it with each other, the family little by little sinks into desperate apathy.  All of these the author conveys in unfussy sparse prose.  Then an unexpected act of aggression (on the squash court) jolts the characters out of their inertia and make them take steps towards active living (a squash tournament helps with that). Overall, a slow predictable story that you can take it or leave it.