Dr. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni laughs gently as she talks about the success of her first novel, The Mistress of Spices.
An English and creative-writing instructor at Foothill College near
San Jose, Calif., she is better known in academic circles as editor of
the popular Multitudes anthology. But with her new book, she is
carrying the message of cross-cultural understanding beyond the ivied
towers of academia.
“I am a listener, a facilitator, a connector to people,” she says.
“To me, the art of dissolving boundaries is what living is all about.”
That desire to listen and connect also drives Tilo, the heroine of The Mistress of Spices ($22.95, Anchor, 1997).
Described by The New Yorker as “a quirky fairy,” Tilo dispenses
spices – not only for kofta and curry, but also for the homesickness
and alienation that plagues the Indian immigrants that patronize her
dusty shop.
Tim novel is set in the San Francisco Bay area, home to a quarter of
America’s 1.25 million Indian immigrants. For Divakaruni, Tilo is the
quintessential immigrant – she must decide which parts of her heritage
she will keep and which parts she will leave behind. But the novel has
a wide range of fans, not just those of Indian descent.
“The audiences have been very multicultural when I do a reading, and
people of all ages come,” Divakaruni says. “A lot of people are
connecting to Tilo’s story because most of us can relate to the
immigrant experience – we know how it is to leave familiar things, even
if it’s just moving to a new neighborhood.”
