I enjoyed this book as I read it, but it isn't necessarily a book I would recommend to anyone. I enjoyed the focus on Kathakali and felt I learned a little about the dance form, but I was gripped neither by the story nor the story-telling.

Had I read this before 'Ladies Coupé' I might head liked it more. But that book is still the best by#AnitaNair . This is one had some good moments but loses the plot in many places. Two parallel stories and two parallel eras is a difficult thing to handle. Still language wise Anita is a stronge player.

I can still remember the countless times I put back this enticing book with its kathakali cover page to its shelf in DC book shop. It was not the time I guess, and partly I was afraid to take a book bearing the title 'Mistress' in front of my parents' watchful eyes. Well, now the little child has grown, finally to grab a copy to relish the mysteries inside.
Two stories unfold here simultaneously: one featuring Shyam and his wife Radha who is in love with the charming travel writer Chris. Other story is told by Koman where he narrates his life story devoted to the service of his demanding mistress -- Kathakali. The whole work is another peep into the beauty of Kathakali with its nine sections divided according to the nine rasas and the story thus proceeds from sringaaram to shaantam.
There are some works that leave you speechless, gripping you from beginning to end and the snippets of wisdom that you gather with it will remain as your new companion. 'Mistress' possesses the same magic and the real treat lies with the chapters introducing the nava rasas where you will be amazed by the vibrant imagination of Anita Nair. From the posture of the kathakali artist she goes on to find instances of each rasas in nature, and in seasonal changes. And as Radha travels from the tumultuous passion of Sringaaram to the calmness of Shaantam, we move along with her, Shyam and Koman and gains an understanding of what it means to be an artist for art's sake or as in Shyam's case love for the sake of love hoping one day it will be returned.

You will get a summary of the book here:
http://finithajose.blogspot.in/2016/03/mistress-anita-nair.html

Some catchy quotations:

"Don't let someone else decide for you what is within your reach or what is beyond you" - 4

"You cannot make someone see the truth unless they want to" - 33

"Fear makes one do things one would never do otherwise. Fear lets you compromise." - 294

"But a true artist is also someone who is able to sustain his belief in his art, and knows that what the world thinks of his art is irrelevant." - 354

"People make mistakes. There is nothing wrong in admitting you made one. But to continue making a mistake when you know it is one, now that is wrong." - 454

Adultery!

Now that I have your attention let me tell you that Anita Nair might very well be my favourite Indian writer and I’m quite shocked this book didn’t do better because it’s very hard to find any serious flaw in it.

Here is a story of Radha, Shyam and Chris, a love triangle that feels refreshingly real and authentic. You can’t help but notice a certain cynicism with which Nair presents the romantic affairs of mortals, born out of hormones and boredom. This cynicism is absent in the narrative when the subject of love is art, in this instance the art of kathakali whose ‘facial expressions’/ basica emotions (navarasams) provide the structure to the novel.

It starts with Sringaaram – Love:
"Love. Let us begin with sringaaram. Do we know other words for it? Or do we know it by the widening of the eye, the arching of eyebrows, the softness of the mouth that curves, by that swelling of breath from each nerve-end wanting to cup a contour?
We have words for this flooding that can sweep away all other thoughts. Pleasure, longing, lust… we call it by so many names. It is human to do so. To give a name to everything and everybody, to classify and segregate. For only then we can measure the extent of this need to know, to conquer, to hold this wondrous being, this creature that suffuses every moment with a strange and inexplicable yearning."

And it ends with Shaantam – Peace:
"Shaantam. How do we depict peace? What do we school our features into? Shaantam is not a face devoid of expression. Shaantam is not the absence of muscle movement. Shaantam is not turning yourself into a catatonic being. […] Is it the stillness of the hour before dawn in a summer month, when a thin line of light appears on the horizon? The sky and so is the earth. The birds are still asleep and even the breeze is reined in by the heat that waits. There is a stillness to that hour that you can learn from. Rein in all thoughts. Calm your mind. Feel the stillness within your being."

In a way this is the story it tells. Of a tumultuous journey to achieve peace. The journey taken by Shyam, the rejected husband, Radha, the longing-for-something-else wife and even Koman, Radha’s uncle – the master of kathakali - an art form that's a difficult mistress. It takes years of excruciating practice to perfect, but the final product can only be appreciated by a knowledgeable few.

‘Mistress’ is also about what it means to be an artist and how an artist can find peace without losing the fire that adds the edge to their art.

This book is utterly beautiful and I urge you to read it. It offers so much more than its ‘romance-in-exotic-setting’ sort of cover would have you think.

I don't know about you. Some books I have on my shelves I get really excited about, and really look forward to reading. Sometimes these books let me down, admittedly, but usually they live up to my expectations. But I also have other books on my shelves that I can't remember why or how I acquired them, and I'm not convinced I still want to read them, but then when I do they blow me away with how good they are. This falls into the latter category.

Ostensibly, Mistress is the story of the bored Indian housewife, Radha, who is excited by the thrill of the young American man, Chris, who arrives to interview her Uncle about his kathakali dancing career, and the two have an affair. But this book is so much more than that. Interweaved with this story are various histories of her parents and grandparents, and it is this rich tapestry of history and storytelling, as well as the vivid setting of India and the cultural details about the kathakali dancing, that make this book what it is. Its quite a fat book, and could be quite daunting, but I would highly recommend it.

I picked this up in Kerala earlier this year, drawn in by the cover. I'd been to a Kathakali performance a few days before, so it called out to me. Sadly, for me the story felt muted and a bit overly mystical. I'd occasionally feel a connection with one of the characters but then they'd quickly go back to being unbearable again. Uncle was judgemental, Radha was immature and completely lacking in self awareness, Shyam was controlling, and Chris was just a sort of white non-entity.

Serves me right for judging a book by its cover!

Story intertwined in dance culture and artistry. Enjoyed reading about the life of a Kathakali artist and a very gripping tale steeped in culture.