Trail of Broken Wings

This was a compelling but heart-wrenching read. Brilliantly written through the eyes of the mother and her three daughters, the story gradually reveals the impact the father has had on each of their lives. It is not easy reading because the effect on each has been so massive and shocking. But whilst few of us, thank goodness, will have endured what these ladies have, the book does highlight the negative impact on ones’ life of not talking about such things as well as how they shape our future lives and relationships. A truly profound read.

This is the story of an Indian family who moved to America. Ranee and daughters Sonya, Marin and Trisha, have been subject to physical abuse by their husband/father, Brent. The abuse is appalling and has an awful impact on how each of the women are in later life. The story unfolds at the bedside of Brent, who is in hospital in a coma. Each of the women give their narrative in turn as they reflect on the past. I won't give the revelations away -the book is beautifully written, prose like and heart wrenching. It gives an insight into the Indian culture and is thought provoking. Like a stone thrown in a pond- the ripples of the domestic violence spread to affect wider family members and others. Well worth reading.

I never imagined, when I set out to read this book, that I would be so captivated - and shocked - by it. Usually the preserve of thrillers this is, although not a thriller in the usual sense of the genre, a page-turner. The horrific, lasting and damaging effects of consistent physical abuse by the father in the family is explored through the life experiences of his wife and daughters. The cultural backgound lends an additional dimension. The tension is gradually built up as the novel progresses and it is difficult to predict what form the conclusion will take. Although not exactly a "happy ever after ending," I did find it disappointingly conventional.....and somewhat glossed over given the slow and steady build-up of the other parts of the story. There are one or two issues that, irritatingly for a novel of this calibre, stretch credibility. One is the willingness of a young girl to so readily accept - and then miss - physical abuse at the hands of her boyfriend. Another is that the medical authorities would have failed to detect, when trying to diagnose the reason for Brent's coma, that he had been poisoned. These minor irritations apart, I would recommend this novel unreservedly although not, perhaps, when looking for a light and undemanding holiday read!!

I chose to download this book because it sounded like an interesting situation, the father not able to exercise power outside the home following immigration to the USA taking it out on his wife and daughters at home. Sejal Badani has written a reasonably page turning story here, however for me personally it was a bit of a disappointment. Like Jodie Piccoult the writing is more an exploration of feelings in shocking situations than hanging together as a logical story. I was interested in the situation, but would have liked more exploration of the hint that having to deal with racial prejudice was what caused the father to become an abuser. It appears that when the family first went to the US they had to face years of poverty, but apparently later became affluent, but this process is not explained or described. Were the daughters supporting their parents? Did the father manage to earn enough in later years? If so why did this not mellow him? Daughter opportunities at top notch universities - how achieved? Regrettably I also found the characterisation failed to bring the people to life for me. The love-hate feelings of the women of the family towards their abuser and each other are treated sympathetically and movingly, but I found the other details of their lives fail to convince. And if the granddaughter's bruises were noticed by the school, why did the same not happen to her mother and aunt in an earlier generation? Maybe as a UK citizen I fail to grasp the nuances of US and Asian cultures, but this has not been an issue for me with other writers. Read it and see what you think.

This book is clearly written from both the heart, and experience by the looks of it. The author relates a very true to life family situation, expressed superbly, and you can feel the emotion from each family member. It succinctly describes how our early years and childhood and family situation can define us and shape how we grow and what we grow into and how we then develop into adults and then how we interact with others and our behaviour. A book that is very worth reading, Im sure nearly all of us have had some major event in our childhood, and this book will make you think. Excellent!

Trail of Broken Wings is an emotional, difficult read, but completely compelling. I didn’t have any expectations about this book. It is one which has been waiting patiently in my kindle library for a while and I didn’t even re-read the blurb before I started it. I was not prepared for the heartache. The story is told from the point of view of a mother and her three daughters. Three grown up daughters who couldn’t be any different to each other, living very different lives. They all once lived under the same roof as their abusive father though. The father who now lies in a coma he is unlikely to come out of. I’m struggling with what to say without giving anything away, but my heart broke for all four women along the way. I struggled to understand the mother, but I have no experience of abuse so I can’t really judge. I can’t even begin to imagine how I would cope with a husband like hers. Nor could I ever imagine my dad laying a finger on me. Learning how their childhoods are still affecting the daughters’ adult lives is heartbreaking. How could anyone not be affected by such a past. As the story progresses truths are revealed, secrets are shared, and the heartache increases. I never imagined things could have been any worse, but it’s just devastating. No one should ever have to endure what these women went through. However, a mother’s bravery, finally having an opportunity to talk things through and be truly honest with themselves and each other means healing can begin and there is hope for a happier future. Such a beautifully written novel. I highly recommend.

This is a brilliant book. I was unsure at first as not my usual type of read but from a few pages in I was absolutely hooked. I am always a bit suspicious of reviews that tell you that they ' felt at one with the characters' etc etc etc but I found myself apalled by the actions and attitude of Marin, yet understanding why she lived her life as she did, with relationships suffering along the way. The other characters in the book are equally as deserving of understanding. A book about abuse, seen and unseen and sibling relationships complicated by tacit acknowledgement and complete ignorance, written in such a way that you can understand all of the recipients perspectives. Brilliantly written, a fabulous book.

I enjoyed this book very much and found it difficult to put down. It was interesting to get an opportunity to get a insight into the Indian way of life as illustrated by the close family traditions described ( - but I couldn't find the glossary of Indian terms in the Kindle edition which should have been there). The storyline was realistic and descriptions were usually concentrated on the individuals in the book without excursions into unrelated stories which many authors tend to provide to fill their books The reason why I did not give 5 stars was I felt that in some cases there were too many details and explanations of how the sisters felt and acted, when to me the motivation for their actions were fairly obvious.

Trail of Broken Wings was a wonderful story about physical, sexual, and mental abuse. These type of stories are hard to read because of the complexity of the characters and, what may or may not happen to them. People who undergo one, two or all three of the abuses have some or all of the usual traits: usually quite, demure, feel they are dumb, scared, contemplate suicide, feel they are dirty and feel they are uninteresting people to name a few. C.R. Hurst wrote in her review on Amazon; "Much of the problem I believe lies with the characters. They are simply not original or interesting enough to appeal to those unaffected personally by domestic violence." Well C.R. you are both right and wrong. In your lifetime you have probably meet one or two people who is and/or has gone through some type of domestic abuse without your knowledge. They become good at hiding it. Just like the sisters and mother did around their friends, school gatherings, employees , husbands and other people. They only talked about it with each other. That was how scared they were of anyone finding out and disgracing their family and their priest. So they talked and talked and talked some more. That was good therapy for ALL of them. When their Father falls into a coma , Ranee calls her three daughters to come together, esp. Sonya since she doesn't live in the same area as the rest of the family and may not come home. All feel guilty (except Trisha) about not wanting to visit their father in the hospital. Trisha was her father's favorite child and because of that she was not hit by her father but took his advice when she needed him to 'TELL HER WHAT TO DO. They had a good relationship up until her father went in to the hospital. Then things starting happening with Trisha. And it goes downhill from there. Marin, the oldest sister, was hard to like for me. The further I progressed though the book I understood why she acted the way she did,but still could not bring myself to change my mind. When her daughter starts following in her footsteps, Marin's reaction is unbelievable. Sonya was my favorite sister even though she had some really bad serious problems. Without really realizing it, she was the freest of them all in a small way. The abuse she suffered was the worse of the 3 sisters. Her career choice saved her only to an extent as the abuse overshadowed her whole life. I loved how she cheered up the children with serious health problems while they were in the hospital. This was a well written book with a good plot. Sejal Badani did an excellent job in describing what happened to Ranee, Marin, Trisha and Sonya in India and America so the prose flowed easily. For the most part the story is told from some of the characters POV and other parts by a third person narrator. There are a few surprises that I did not see coming and I liked the ending of the book. This is an emotional story and may not be for everyone, but it is a good story and can open your eyes to how domestic violence affects people.

An emotionally surcharged book wich narrates the story of three sisters, a mother and an abusive father in an alien country. How a strong patriarchal family could ruin the life of three daughters is narrated beautifully. A poignant story which is commonplace but seldom disclosed.

Great story of a family of three women, their mother and their abusive father. Pulls you in and captures your imagination. Great read

The volume is a powerful narrative of domestic violence. Highly recommended reading for everyone.

This is a novel about a woman and her three grown-up daughters, who experienced violence by their father's hand. The story sets in about 15 years after Somya, the youngest daughter, left the home after the father has fallen into a coma. Sonya returns home and as the mother and sisters meet again and as they have to face their father's impending death, they each have to deal with their traumatic past. The author shows very well how each of them is affected differently and individually and illustrates the long time effects of abuse in the family. Some reviewers have complained that the novel is depressive. I can understand that one would feel that way, but I personally found it very touching. I appreciate when novels acknowledge that time doesn't heal everything, that we need to face our past and can only run from it for so long. I liked the way the focus and narrative voice shifted between the two women and how I slowly learned more about the characters and their experiences. It becomes plausible why they are struggling so much as adults. I find the novel well written. I thought the pacing was good and also the way in which information about the past was divulged. I really wanted to know more and understand the characters more. I almost didn't buy this book because of the negative reviews here on amazon.de - fortunately, I checked out those on amazon.com. I find that very helpful, because for some reason, German readers seem to vote books down a lot of the time.