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100reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I like the book but I had to give it 3⭐️ I feel sorry for Ishwari and her sick child. I don’t know how to feel about the ending of the book.
bookepiphanies's review
challenging
dark
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
“I was not prepared for the indifference of existence.”
After Panty hit me like a struck of lightening, I had to get Bandyopadhyay’s other novels. If Panty’s protagonist symbolizes the archetype of freedom and answers to no one but her own desire, Abandon returns to a cruel reality charged with the curse of motherhood.
Though Bandyopadhyay continues to haunt us with stunningly lyrical passages that almost turn desperation into poetry, this novel feels completely different in its more conventional structure and plot. That is not to say that it lacks authenticity.
Despite motherhood, identity and sexuality being themes often explored and picked apart in literature, Abandon manages to deliver freshness combined with a nearly extinct uncompromising depth and honesty.
Similarly to Panty, the city feels like an omnipresent support character, shedding light on relevant social and cultural aspects, such as gender roles, class and privilege.
The novel focuses on the split of female identity, where the two parts constantly battle to coexist. This division is done objectively, with the story being told from two narrative perspectives, a first person representing the urge for creativity, and a third person - Ishwari, the mother figure. Each of those selves is responsible for the birth of one creation - a novel and a child, both of which share a predatory nature in their own right. This split is led by her rejection of an abusive domestic life and refusal to surrender to complete submission.
She flees her home with her son Roo, whose name is by no means chosen at random. The word in Bengali can be interpreted as meaning a mother’s soul. Roo’s deteriorating health and imminent fatality can, therefore, be read as a mirror into the fragility of our protagonist‘s soul and her desire for full independence.
The ending is truly magnificent and literally soul-shattering, which more than makes up for a few rare weaker parts. The barre was set impossibly high with Panty, and even though this doesn’t reach quite as high, it comes as close as it can.
If you’re looking beauty underneath existential misery, you’ve come to the right place.
After Panty hit me like a struck of lightening, I had to get Bandyopadhyay’s other novels. If Panty’s protagonist symbolizes the archetype of freedom and answers to no one but her own desire, Abandon returns to a cruel reality charged with the curse of motherhood.
Though Bandyopadhyay continues to haunt us with stunningly lyrical passages that almost turn desperation into poetry, this novel feels completely different in its more conventional structure and plot. That is not to say that it lacks authenticity.
Despite motherhood, identity and sexuality being themes often explored and picked apart in literature, Abandon manages to deliver freshness combined with a nearly extinct uncompromising depth and honesty.
Similarly to Panty, the city feels like an omnipresent support character, shedding light on relevant social and cultural aspects, such as gender roles, class and privilege.
The novel focuses on the split of female identity, where the two parts constantly battle to coexist. This division is done objectively, with the story being told from two narrative perspectives, a first person representing the urge for creativity, and a third person - Ishwari, the mother figure. Each of those selves is responsible for the birth of one creation - a novel and a child, both of which share a predatory nature in their own right. This split is led by her rejection of an abusive domestic life and refusal to surrender to complete submission.
She flees her home with her son Roo, whose name is by no means chosen at random. The word in Bengali can be interpreted as meaning a mother’s soul. Roo’s deteriorating health and imminent fatality can, therefore, be read as a mirror into the fragility of our protagonist‘s soul and her desire for full independence.
The ending is truly magnificent and literally soul-shattering, which more than makes up for a few rare weaker parts. The barre was set impossibly high with Panty, and even though this doesn’t reach quite as high, it comes as close as it can.
If you’re looking beauty underneath existential misery, you’ve come to the right place.
readbyrum's review against another edition
3.0
Abandon follows an artist and a mother, one woman divided into 2 by her desire to live freely and her duty to serve others. Our self-reflective protagonist, Ishwari, defies the conventions of South Asian womanhood by choosing self over community.
Ishwari serves as a physical and emotional anchor for surrounding male characters who depend on her for stability. There is an urgent sense of claustrophobia throughout where her impulse to abandon creeps in over her maternal disposition. She is by no means perfect, but I loved her complexity and commitment to autonomy which we never see in orthodox depictions of Asian women.
The prose are mainly punchy and straight-forward, although at times a little overwrought and jarringly hyperbolic when slipping into Ishwari’s artistic persona. Overall, it was enjoyable and thematically important, but a little slow-moving.
Ishwari serves as a physical and emotional anchor for surrounding male characters who depend on her for stability. There is an urgent sense of claustrophobia throughout where her impulse to abandon creeps in over her maternal disposition. She is by no means perfect, but I loved her complexity and commitment to autonomy which we never see in orthodox depictions of Asian women.
The prose are mainly punchy and straight-forward, although at times a little overwrought and jarringly hyperbolic when slipping into Ishwari’s artistic persona. Overall, it was enjoyable and thematically important, but a little slow-moving.
callymac's review
4.0
I say this every time, but this was one of the best that Tilted Axis have published so far. I much preferred it to Panty. It seemed more formed and mature, still exploring those same themes: how to be an artist, motherhood, sickness. Also, I do love a self-referential narrative.
hannahstrom's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Rape
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