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In “Nobody’s Business,” Sang (short for Sangeeta) is a Bengali American bookstore clerk renting a room in the house she shares with Paul and Heather. Beautiful, smart, and charming, Sang receives constant phone calls from male suitors, mostly Bengali men who get her phone number from her family and parents’ friends. Despite all of this attention, Sang is trapped in an unfulfilling three-year-long relationship with Farouk, who is distant and controlling. Still, she dreams of their future together, clinging to the false narratives he plants in her head. Paul, meanwhile, slowly falls for Sang, growing envious and resentful of her devotion to Farouk. Eventually, with Paul’s help, Sang confronts Farouk’s lies and the abusive nature of her relationship. She moves to London to live with her sister shortly thereafter, abruptly abandoning her former life and all those in it.
Sang/Sangeeta Biswas Quotes in Unaccustomed Earth
The Unaccustomed Earth quotes below are all either spoken by Sang/Sangeeta Biswas or refer to Sang/Sangeeta Biswas. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
5. Nobody’s Business
Quotes
“It’s not love.” In Sang’s opinion it was practically an arranged marriage. These men weren’t really interested in her. They were interested in a mythical creature created by an intricate chain of gossip, a web of wishful Indian-community thinking in which she was an aging, overlooked poster child for years of bharat natyam classes, perfect SATs.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Do you live here?” he asked.
“I painted the walls,” Sang said, as if that would explain everything. Paul remembered her painting her own room, listening to Billie Holiday.
The policeman leaned over, inspecting the broken glass and flower debris on the carpet, noticing the welts on her skin. “What happened?”
“I bought them,” she said, tears streaming quickly down her cheeks. Her voice was thick, ashamed. “I did this to myself.”
Get the entire Unaccustomed Earth LitChart as a printable PDF.
Sang/Sangeeta Biswas Quotes in Unaccustomed Earth
The Unaccustomed Earth quotes below are all either spoken by Sang/Sangeeta Biswas or refer to Sang/Sangeeta Biswas. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
5. Nobody’s Business
Quotes
“It’s not love.” In Sang’s opinion it was practically an arranged marriage. These men weren’t really interested in her. They were interested in a mythical creature created by an intricate chain of gossip, a web of wishful Indian-community thinking in which she was an aging, overlooked poster child for years of bharat natyam classes, perfect SATs.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Do you live here?” he asked.
“I painted the walls,” Sang said, as if that would explain everything. Paul remembered her painting her own room, listening to Billie Holiday.
The policeman leaned over, inspecting the broken glass and flower debris on the carpet, noticing the welts on her skin. “What happened?”
“I bought them,” she said, tears streaming quickly down her cheeks. Her voice was thick, ashamed. “I did this to myself.”
