Sugarbread Paperback – 10 September 2020

Set in the 1990s, this is a story of a Sikh family living in Singapore. We read the story of a 10- year old pin  with a parallel narration of her mother's childhood laying a comparison of the inter-generational contrast for the reader. Pin with her innocent yet highly logical thoughts questions conversations with her friends and family. She's also a keen observer and tries to figure out her mother's state of mind through her cooking (and yes the author does provide for some drool-worthy descriptions of food throughout the book!). Pin's monologues and confusion over God makes her a real and an endearing character.All seems well until her grandmother moves in and begins to impose her beliefs and ideals over everyone, thus changing the whole dynamics of the house. The story then begins to unravel hinting on an unsettling incident in the past.Although written in a simple, humorous yet engaging narrative, the book touches upon some serious topics of victim blaming, patriarchy, casual racism, religion and unresolved childhood trauma.A well rounded book depicting some complex family ties.

(Voluntarily reviewed a physical copy of book on For The Love of Fictional Worlds)Sugar bread is my introduction to Ms. Jaiswal's writing-and I have to be honest; with the first book, she has cemented herself as one of the few Indian authors I would blindly buy.Sugar bread, is a novel about the Sikh diaspora living in Singapore and the story is told in the naive and innocent voice of a young girl; Pin - torn between the modern world she is growing up in and the traditional values of a family in a society far removed from her family's country; yet who still cling tightly to their idea of the perfect culture traditions/society; especially by Pin's grandmother-whose arrival in her home not only disrupts herhome life but also her mother's behaviour drastically.It is judgement free style of writing of the author gives the readers a chance of going into the plot without being influenced by the author's opinion and views - being able to empathize; not just with the protagonist; but also the people she loves and cares about and a society she found herself living in, but mostly found exasperated by.Sugar bread is Pin's journey of understanding her mother-the reasons behind her mother's transformation from a strong, decisive independent woman, to a meek submissive woman who tends to bow down in front of the acerbic comments and taunts of her own very religious and traditional mother.This beautiful book explores multitude of issues including racial discrimination, patriarchy, sexual abuse and caste; even in a society that is supposed to have been a new, modern beginning eons away from the country they left behind.

When you hear the word "Sugar bread," what comes to your mind? For me, it was some sugar sprinkled on the bread, just like how my brother and I used to eat during our childhood days. Having something sweet to eat back then was a privilege, and this was a perfect replacement. We don't make it often now, but we still love sugar paranthas.See, I also told you a tale about myself behind this. Similarly, this book is all about mini-stories that involve food. It gives off a warm and fuzzy vibe, where everything looks straightforward, but it isn't. When we witness our elders spending their lives in the same way day in and day out, we tend to assume that adult life is the best. Everything appears to be perfect, but things change once we put ourselves in their shoes.There are moments in our life that change for the better or good we don't get to know at the moment, but they leave us so vulnerable that it becomes difficult to make sense of anything. Here, the mother always tells her daughter not to become like her. The daughter always wonders about this as she has no clue about the issues. Our parents are like that most of the time. They want us to do good but never tell us the reason behind a few things.This book revolves around relationships that show how some are more important than others. Also how, you may need to let go of some significant relationships to avoid feeling guilty. It becomes tough to maintain peace when everyone does not think alike.I read it slowly to soak every emotion it offers thoroughly. The protagonist is a child, and the book oozes out childlike innocence. I loved everything about this book. The description of God is silly but so apt as being a 90s kid; I had the same notions back then. I loved this story and would recommend you to read this.

This was an excellent and touching account of the complex love between a daughter and her mother. In her sophisticated and subtle way, Jaswal wades into the difficult and haunting family secrets her mother has had to bear, how she tries to protect her own daughter from the harsh injustices she faced, and the unfairness she continues to face from her own family. We encounter the courage of both characters, firsthand, as they elegantly untangle themselves from a past and present they never chose to inherit. Regardless of your background, you may want to give this book a read.The author does a remarkable job switching point-of-view and makes the reader feel increasingly secure as she assuredly leads us through the streets and homes of Singapore. Because of its tempered momentum and beautiful attention to detail, this is a book you definitely won't want to put down. The account, the food, the voices, and the emotion all feels uncannily real to the senses and transports and immerses the reader into a multi-layered amalgam of exquisite culture (all the more important especially when most of us can't easily board a plane and travel anywhere right now).More importantly, it connects us to a collective consciousness and experience that's simply hard to forget. It doesn't talk down to the reader and the writer's voice isn't one that is hard to believe or plastered by an unnecessary and unreachable "exotic" aura. Although the book primarily focuses on women, it doesn't ignore the men who support them and who we find are equally intricate. Well done to the author for connecting us once again to another remarkable wave of human experience.

Great read it held your interest , kept you reading and I was sad when it ended . I loved learning about life in Singapore and the Sikh / Punjab culture as well . All people seem to share the same basic needs wants and fears that unite us all as humans .

picked up this book after not reading one for a long time. As a sikh punjabi singaporean girl, I knew I could relate to this book. Loved the simple writing and pace of this book. It was simple yet intriguing in the way suspense was created after every chapter. This style of writing kept me at the edge of my seat and I absolutely loved the storyline.