Divakaruni – Sister of My Heart – and I remember liking it, but this book is already much more memorable to me.
I’ve only read one other book by the very prolific Ms. It’s fluffy and light and doesn’t capture the depth or beauty of the book, but it’s an enjoyable watch nevertheless. I mean, the movie is good, and if you want to see it, I’m sure you can find it somewhere. The star of the movie is the beautiful, young Aishwarya Rai – already a huge departure from the book, since Tilo is supposed to be a young woman trapped in an old lady’s body…. It skips over some of the major plot points in the book, and while that’s not unexpected, it’s a little annoying. Now, I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about the movie version. However, her whole world is turned upside down when a beautiful American man comes into the shop, seemingly able to see past the old lady facade to Tilo’s true self. She never leaves the confines of her shop, but is happy knowing that she is living a life of service, and will never want for anything. Tilo does her best to cater to everyone who comes into her shop, letting the spices speak to and guide her in helping abused wives and unhappy, bullied children. When we first meet her, she is already in what is basically her third incarnation – Tilo, a mistress of spices who has just woken up in a magically constructed shop, inhabiting the body of an old lady and communing with spices in order to help people. Eventually borne away from the pirates as well, not-yet-Tilo lands on a mysterious island and learns how to manipulate spices from an ancient crone called the First Mother. They eventually burn her village to the ground and kidnap her, yet she becomes their pirate princess in time, taking on a new name. Her gift makes her family the most powerful one in the village, attracting the attention of some vicious pirates. She is born into an unremarkable family, but with the innate power to grant wishes. The story revolves around Tilo, a woman who has basically lived a few vastly different lives within her short existence. Each phase of her life is so unique that she adopts a new name upon each transition, although I find it hard to remember any but “Tilo” since that is the name she uses for the longest time. Both versions have their own merits, but I can honestly say that the book is so different from, and much better than, the movie. I liked the film well enough that when I later visited the Half Price Books that is just a few doors down from that now-defunct Blockbuster, I saw the novel and snatched it right up. I knew it couldn’t be bad the book is almost always better than the movie, right? I originally happened upon the movie adaptation of The Mistress of Spices a few years ago while perusing a going-out-of-business sale at my local Blockbuster (R.I.P.).
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