But when a lonely American comes into the store, a troubled Tilo cannot find the right spice, for he arouses in her a forbidden desire, and following her own desires will destroy her magical powers.Ĭompelling and lyrical, full of heady scents and with more than a touch of humour, this novel explores the clash between East and West even as it unveils the universal mysteries of the human heart. To each Tilo dispenses wisdom and the appropriate spice: coriander for sight turmeric to erase wrinkles cinnamon for finding friends fenugreek to make a rejected wife desirable again chillies for the cleansing of evil. The Indo-American Woman Writer Divakaruni has given metaphorical representation to the Indian Spices in order to touch upon the knowledge beyond science. Through those who visit and revisit her shop - Ahuja's wife, caught in an unhappy, abusive marriage Jagjit, the victim of racist attacks at school the noisy bougainvillaea girls, rejecting the strict upbringing of their tradition-bound Indian parents Haroun who drives a taxi and dreams the American dream - we get a glimpse into the life of the local Indian expatriate community. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has characterized the lifeless spices as living characters in her novel The Mistress of Spices.

For Tilo is a Mistress of Spices, a priestess of the secret, magical powers of spices. While she dispenses the classic ingredients for curries and kormas, she also helps her customers to gain a more precious commodity: whatever they most desire. Chitra Banerjee Divakarunis novel Mistress of Spices brings out the cultural authenticity of. Magical, tantalizing, and sensual, The Mistress of Spices is the story of Tilo, a young woman born in another time, in a faraway place, who is trained in the ancient art of spices and ordained as a mistress charged with special powers. Synopsis Tilo, an immigrant from India, runs an Indian spice shop in Oakland, California. It is necessary in defining family, class and ethnic identity.

The mistress of spices novel