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7 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 A story from anywhere, anytime Aug 13, 2005
By An Indian-American Reader
A moving family drama with universal themes. The narrative alternates between Sita's present life as an old woman in the US, and her girlhood and youth in India. I found the latter story especially powerful and engaging. Sita grows up into a headstrong young woman not content with the raw deal life has dealt her, but then, blinded by the dreams and impulses we all share, she makes tragic mistakes. At this point, the book is particularly hard to put down as it builds up to a horrifying climax.
As Sita's Indian story unfolds, it starts to illuminate her present life in the US. The confusions of her American niece and nephew feel very real. Unlike so many Indian-American stories, this one does not peddle a cheesy brand of Indian spirituality for western palettes. It has no magical realism, nor is it preoccupied with the migrant's sentimental sense of loss, nostalgia, and pining for a faraway home (and that too from well-fed economic migrants!), but regards home to be, above all, within the self, wherever one is.
Here is a sharp and clear-eyed portrait of life in one Indian family. Characters are vividly drawn, they struggle between duty and desire, the dramatic tension is just right. In the Indian story, the author handles with great deftness difficult subjects like infidelity, homosexuality, and incest (between family members not related by blood). In portraying the ancient hijra commune of India, the author seems to have put her anthropology background to good use. Illuminating the story is a nuanced and morally alert narrative voice. Despite Sita's problematic acts, she remains thoroughly deserving of our sympathy -- a testament to the skill of the author as a storyteller.
I only wish the author had given more prominence to mid-20th century historical events in India. Nor does she engage much in overt social commentary, but then, this has both pros and cons in a novel. The ending is both apt and cathartic. A truly remarkable first novel.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Crossing the cultural divide - poignant, riveting! Jul 21, 2007
By Ian Browde
I just finished reading Only the Eyes are Mine and it is an amazing novel. I found it deep, riveting, disturbing, warm, uncomfortable, familiar, strange and beautifully written.
It is one of those novels that crosses the cultural divide between India and the USA by being grounded in "of India in both cultures" fluently.
It also grapples with diversity in a stark and quite "in-your-face" way yet stays an engaging story, terrific stuff.
Since finishing it I have recommended it to friends, some Indian, some ABCDs (of whom there are some at work or some who are married to some) and others including my family.
I have no hesitation in recommending it here to all and sundry!
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Only The Eyes Are Mine by Usa Alexander is wonderful! Dec 05, 2005
By Brenda Roberts
"author and poet"
I just finished reading this wonderful book. Immediately the main character pulled me in. The writing is well done, the transitions smooth from one time period to another. I think this book would make an excellent gift for someone who likes romance and enjoys learning a bit about other cultures.
I hope to see more by this author.
Brenda Roberts, author of A Cold North Wind
[...]
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Humane, poignant - and a darn good read! Jun 19, 2007
By Darth Breather
"DB"
I picked up this book because someone recommended it. I browsed through it soon after it arrived. Afew hours later, I found I'd browsed all the way to the end. It's a fast, compelling read.
The book draws you into the life of Sita, a poor woman with big dreams. It reminded me of an Indian, fictionalized version of "Angela's Ashes" in its poignancy and authenticity.
Married as a child to a man who doesn't love her, Sita ends up in Northern California where her niece is planning her own wedding to a man she doesn't love. In between, there is love, hate, fear, violent death, misery, resignation, and joy, all told with an empathy that resonates, and a plot that pulls one along and made it difficult to put down the book.
I'd recommend this novel to anyone interested in human drama, and to readers of Indian novelists such as Jhumpa Lahiri or Chitra Divakaruni.
It's published by a small Indian house. I found Amazon the easiest way to find this book.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
A New Voice Oct 24, 2005
By Constance Cook
Usha Alexander's novel, "Only The Eyes Are Mine", provided an interesting look at one young woman's experience in the East Indian culture of the 1940's and 1950's and her final days after many years in America.
For me, Indian females are a newcomer population, even here in Silicon Valley. While I've been acquainted on a professional level with Indian men, I've never had the opportunity to meet many Indian women. To me, Indian women have always seemed somehow exotic and mysterious.
"Only..." was like having a revealing conversation with a stranger. Usha Alexander's writing style is very intimate. Even though in some instances, she assumes knowledge not yet developed, it is very easy to keep up with our protagonist, Sita.
I followed Sita, a poor Indian girl, through her arranged marriage to an unsuitable husband. I was compelled to watch with horrified fascination Sita's self-sabotage and shake my head in wonder. All the while my memory was pinging with discomfort as I related to some of my own bad choices.
Although I was anticipating a wider cultural understanding, I found instead another sister. We grew up in different circumstances and I did find the contrasts to my own experiences very compelling. But the true gift of this story was the overwhelming similarity in spirit.
My only real complaint about this book was that it was far too short. I could have easily read an entire series revolving around Sita and her family, especially her next generation family and the challenges they face straddling the two cultures. I hope that Alexander considers her novel only a beginning.
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