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maniereads's review against another edition
4.0
Well that book went really fast. The style of writing/translation was very simple and straightforward. The subject matter was anything but simple. Nasrin examines the role (and plight even) of women in modern day Bangladesh through the story of one woman who marries for love, but finds her marriage to be confining and even dehumanizing in some ways.
Because Jhamur's husband has little to no understanding of how babies are made, he is convinced that the baby Jhamur conceives within six weeks of marriage can't be his. So he forces her to have an abortion, even though she hasn't cheated on him. This causes Jhamur to seek revenge (hence the title) by conceiving a child by another man.
Very complicated - while I can understand the need for revenge, I don't understand why a revenge that is not recognized by her husband (he is convinced the child is his) could be satisfying. I was also somewhat disappointed by Jhamur's refusal to leave her husband, despite his cruelty. She's an educated woman, and she understands by other people's examples that marriage doesn't have to be that way anymore. But that may just be me coming to the text with a Western feminist's eyes. She does end up happy in the end, though - getting a job, taking back her independence a little from her husband. Interesting that the reason she can do that is Ananda, her child, who isn't even her husband's.
Because Jhamur's husband has little to no understanding of how babies are made, he is convinced that the baby Jhamur conceives within six weeks of marriage can't be his. So he forces her to have an abortion, even though she hasn't cheated on him. This causes Jhamur to seek revenge (hence the title) by conceiving a child by another man.
Very complicated - while I can understand the need for revenge, I don't understand why a revenge that is not recognized by her husband (he is convinced the child is his) could be satisfying. I was also somewhat disappointed by Jhamur's refusal to leave her husband, despite his cruelty. She's an educated woman, and she understands by other people's examples that marriage doesn't have to be that way anymore. But that may just be me coming to the text with a Western feminist's eyes. She does end up happy in the end, though - getting a job, taking back her independence a little from her husband. Interesting that the reason she can do that is Ananda, her child, who isn't even her husband's.
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