Finding Belle

We first meet young Mivvi and her mother Belle in 1979, with Belle having her good days and bad. Belle has an up and down relationship with her husband Fairfax, she’s frequently unhappy, can act strangely and is often disconnected from everything. Belle has struggled in England ever since she comes......more

Finding Belle, Chakrabarti's debut novel, is a reimagining of Jane Eyre. Told mainly by daughter Malini (known as Mivvi) we get the story of her parents marriage seen through her eyes. Father, Fairfax, is a charismatic, handsome, blue-eyed, blonde English man married to Bela (Belle) who, as Mivvi ge......more

The profound effects of mental illness are all too often smothered, denied and not spoken about. Add the influences that affect a multicultural family and there is a recipe for heartbreak. Mivvy’s journey to adulthood in the shadow of her mother’s illness is a common story, I gather – her delving to......more

Finding Belle is a beautiful and disturbing story of family, friendship, betrayal and secrets. A book full of culture, heritage and tradition, however, is darkened by societal racism and mental health matters and their affect on family life. The characters are vivid and colourful, especially Mivvy, w......more

Finding Belle by Reeta Chakrabarti is a book that is filled with family drama, betrayal and the quest for identity and I found it to be an intense and compelling read. Told largely from the perspective of Mivvi, the child of Fairfax and Belle, but with interstitial diary entries that recount the his......more