Boo | 25-50

As in the previous section of Boo, I appreciate her selection of details included. Throughout pages 1-25 she mentions the international terminal of an airport — I brought up this section in my last post — and I think it was a subtle, and possibly meaningless, way to break up the history of this place with something familiar to most readers. In pages 25-50 Boo continues this trend, mentioning TV — also adding that Asha’s was the first in Annawadi — and on a more personal and humanistic level, Boo says, “Everyone in Annawadi wanted one of those life-changing miracles that were said to happen in the New India.” Technology and locations are relatable, yes, but throwing in a detail like the aforementioned quote strikes a great relatability with me. Everyone wants that moment, and it is intelligent of Boo to centralize a bit of her writing on this point while also educating us about New Indian culture. In this same section, Boo touches on neighbors again, and the competition between them — as also seen in the first section of reading.

Boo’s character introduction of Sunil is one that continues her pattern of legitimately feeling like she’s in the characters’ heads. Instead of describing him in the normal sense, she crafts her words in a way that almost streams his thoughts and memories for us. She says, “It was a skill he had acquired during his on-and-off stays at the Housemaids of the Blessed Trinity orphanage.” It’s almost as if Sunil is thinking to himself in third person — I find it very effective.