House of Cards| Sudha Murty| Book Review

A simple village girl named Mridula marries Sanjay, who is a doctor. While her husband’s life changes to welcome a good time, she comes face to face with the harsh realities of the world. ‘House of Cards’ is a beautiful tale that portrays the struggles of the pair, with rich emotions.

Plot: 4.5/5

Writing Style: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

Genre: Fiction

Storyline

The struggle

Sanjay and Mridula met at a wedding in Hubli, just a small distance away from Aladahalli where Mridula stayed. They both got attracted towards each other on the very first meet. Later Mridula came to Bombay for a trip with her colleagues. She fell ill and contacted a doctor that her father knew. Sanjay took care of her when she fell sick and was brought to the hospital he worked in. He took the first step and asked her to marry him.

Soon after marriage, Mridula and Sanjay started a life together,full of hardships. Sanjay did not have a father and his mother was too preoccupied with her money-lending business to be of any assistance. Sanjay’s mother wasn’t the type to offer him any sort of assistance anyway. She preferred to stay alone and thought of gifts to be a waste of money. His sister Laxmi too wasn’t very affectionate, although Mridula always thought of her as an elder sister. Soon she realized it was Laxmi’s fake concern and kindness.

Turn of events

After facing a lot of politics and drama in a government job, Sanjay decided to quit his job to start his own nursing home. One of his friends Dr. Alex,who had completed his studies from overseas, helped him in setting up the nursing home. Sanjay was a gynaecologist and soon he became very popular, with fame came wealth and power. The confidence that he gained from his work led to many changes in his views.

Mridula however, was left in the same place that she had started from. Being a teacher in a government school, she helped Sanjay in his pursuit. She supported him in his biggest risk. When things worked out for him, Sanjay was too busy to pay attention to her. Not only did he ignore her most of time, he also thought that she was too naïve and did not know anything about the world and its competition. Mridula just wanted a simple and happy life.

Things were still okay until one day Mridula realized that Sanjay had a big secret to hide from her. This shattered her and she did not remain the former happy Mridula anymore. After 25 years of her marriage to Sanjay for the first time, she felt like her life was shattered like a ‘House of Cards’.

My thoughts on the House of Cards

It is a simple story that is very unique in many ways. The writer has brought together the simplicity of village life and the competition and harshness of city life all in one place.

The situations that Mridula faces in her house are not alien to most women in India. Majority of the women are treated as inferior to men. Sometimes their views aren’t even taken into consideration before making important decisions. Mridula was smart and made the right choices. She supported her husband when he needed her and now Sanjay feels she is naïve and inexperienced.

The most important thing for a woman in marriage is not love but respect. Without respect, her marriage to Sanjay felt like an empty shell.

This book discusses a lot of emotions and also the complicated nature of human relationships. It shows how manipulative humans can be to get their work done. Anyone can read this story as it is a short and sweet no

Other books by the author: Three thousand stitches.