Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman

With the outdoor temperature at an indecent temperature of negative 60 degrees, books about warm foreign countries are a delightful alternative to booking an immediate flight to Hawaii. Padma Venkatraman’s young adult novel Climbing the Stairs is much more than just an escape to better weather: her character Vidya’s narrative is both lively and thought-provoking, telling an absorbing story of spirit sustained despite all odds.

          Fifteen-year-old Vidya still prefers climbing trees with her older brother Kitta over thinking about her dowry. At an age when most other girls would be having their horoscopes presented to the families of prospective bridegrooms, Vidya rejoices that her parents are willing to send her to college once she finishes school. When her father is seriously injured, however, her family must move to her uncle’s house, where the extended family lives under one roof and the women are strictly confined to the kitchen. Frustrated at the loss of her home and dreams, bullied by her aunts, and harboring a miserable secret, Vidya seeks refuge in her grandfather’s forbidden library, where she makes a good friend in Raman, a handsome young family acquaintance. In the face of the approaching World War II and the avocation of change as made by figures such as Gandhiji (Mahatma Gandhi), Vidya begins to realize that fulfilling her ambitions requires both effort and personal cost.

          One of the best things about this Climbing the Stairs is that it is decidedly three-dimensional. In her story about a young girl negotiating her future, Venkatraman does not neglect any of the essential elements of family, friends, historical consideration, developing romance, and straight-up girlish mischievousness. Vidya is an excellent protagonist, intelligent and logical yet tempestuous and sharp-tongued, and has realistic hopes and affections due to the well-imagined plot. Furthermore, it is worth noting that in her ultimate decision over her future, she discovers that although education and romantic relationships are both vital parts of life, neither can replace the other. Readers will enjoy Vidya’s verve as well as her thirst for knowledge, and may even gain an appreciation for homework. Maybe.

          This book is currently on display in the young adult section of the Fitzgerald Library.