Ruma's Relationship With Her Father

In this first story, the distance between father and daughter and the close bond between grandfather and grandson is a major issue in the tale.  Though Ruma inwardly blames her father for his stand-off ways, it is not her father's fault.  I believe the indifference towards his daughter is for two reasons.  The first is an over-protective mother, the economic I attribute to the Indian culture.  With an overly attentive mother, I see Ruma's father laying off to create a balance.  For this, Ruma is upset.  Secondly, though they now live in Brooklyn, the Indian traditions still played a roll in their relationship.  For Ruma's dad, it was how men treat women in India versus in America. For Ruma, she struggles in her debate for whether or not she should let her father live with her.  These bounds, accompanied with the grandfather's love for Akash, Ruma's son, get under Ruma's skin, especially as she is in a depressed state to start the book.