The Village by the Sea by Anita Desai

Synopsis :

Forgotten by the evolution of the centuries and indifferent to the advances of the twentieth century, Thul, a tiny fishing village not far from Bombay, continues to follow those rhythms of the seasons that have always been handed down. 

Hari and Lila were born and raised in the village, but now their family is falling into despair: the father to alcohol while the mother is seriously ill. As for money, that there is not even enough to meet the most basic needs between.

If there is a book about change, this book would be it.  I feel that 'change' is the central theme that the author is trying to share with readers.  The willingness to adapt to change can really lead to change in quality of lives and directions of lives.

The focus of the book is a teenage boy by the name of Hari.  He and his sister, Lila had to take over in caring for their family when their mother fall sick and their father was too drunk to take care of the family.  With limited food, Hari and Lila were quite lost as what to do to keep the family together.

The village was facing change with factories being planned by the government to be built in the village.  The villagers were skeptical of new fishing methods and were not willing to accept the need to have proper fishing boats.

It was quite a read following what Hari and Lila did for the survivor of their family.