Published in 1999 in Great Britain by Indian author Anita Desai, the novel is set in two countries, India and the United States, and tells the story of a sister, Uma, and her brother, Arun. Uma, an unmarried woman, endeavors to eke out a life for herself amid a family and society that denigrates her for not fulfilling her prescribed roles, while Arun, studying in Massachusetts, tries to navigate the mores of suburban American life while trying to figure out his own identity.
Fasting, Feasting received warm critical praise. The New York Times reviewer stated, “What distinguishes Desai's novel from countless other depictions of airless and repressive households is the subtle and original way in which she makes us understand how much of our lives is encoded in and determined by tiny, repetitive, deceptively trivial decisions about what we will and won't eat... As in her previous novels, Desai employs a rich and subtle palette to convey her crisp, unsentimental view of character and behavior.” Publishers Weekly said, “Although Desai takes a risk in shifting from the endearing Uma to Arun, she has much to say in this graceful, supple novel about the inability of the families in either culture to nurture their children.”
The novel was nominated for the Booker Prize in 1999. After the winner, J.M. Coetzee’s Disgrace, was announced, one of the judges, John Sutherland, intimated that there was a gender divide amongst the judges, prompting the two female Prize judges, Natasha Walter and Shena Mackay, to condemn his “gossipy” falsehoods. More statements revealed that Fasting, Feasting was the runner-up, an important distinction since the runners-up are rarely publicly identified.
