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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Winner of the International Booker Prize 2025, Heart Lamp is a collection of twelve translated short stories centring around the everyday lives of Muslim women and girls in Southern India. Penned by Indian activist and lawyer Banu Mushtaq, these stories were written in the Kannada language from 1990 to 2023. Mushtaq’s works formed part of the Bandaya Sahitya movement—a protest literary movement rooted in resistance, justice and amplification of the voices of the marginalised. Through the domestic lives of women, Heart Lamp explores the intersection of gender, class, family and faith.
Many of the stories in Heart Lamp felt similar and at times indistinguishable from one another in terms of characters, themes and storylines. I’m not sure if this is because I read the book in a couple of short sittings and so it all began to blur together, or if it’s due to the repetitive nature of the stories themselves. Presumably this was part intentional—to reflect the everyday lives of people in the region and highlight the common issues faced by women. Given that these stories span three decades, it was often difficult to differentiate between the stories that were written in 1990 and 2023. As with any collection of stories, some were more engaging and memorable than others. For me, these were:
• Black Cobras — Much of my book club preparation pertained to this particular story. Black Cobras centres on a woman who is abandoned by her husband and seeks the help of a local religious leader when she is left destitute with several young mouths to feed. The end of this story was particularly hard-hitting and I valued the solidarity amongst the women.
• The Shroud— A maid asks her mistress who is going on Hajj to bring back a shroud for her blessed with zamzam so that she can be wrapped in it when she passes away. This emotional story was one the few that explores servant/maid culture in the subcontinent.
• Fire Rain — A dark but satirical tale of a religious figure vowing to recover the corpse of a Muslim man from a Hindu cemetery.
• A Taste of Heaven — A bittersweet tale of a grandmother who is attached to an old, threadbare prayer mat.
• Heart Lamp — A woman and her children are abandoned by the father with a harrowing ending. I later discovered that the author drew from her personal experiences for this one which is rather upsetting.
A common theme amongst many of these stories was the inaction, neglect, or straight up resentment towards women in need. Though the treatment of women—or mistreatment, rather—appears to be getting more traction recently in terms of awareness and support globally, Mushtaq does well at highlighting the ongoing systemic issues faced by women. Literature can be a thoughtful and effective avenue to bring to the fore long-standing gendered societal, cultural and faith-related challenges. In Heart Lamp, whether it was wives facing the backlash of their husbands’ poor choices, impoverished women beseeching unempathetic male religious authority for help, or brothers refusing to help their sisters, in most instances, the man in question faced little to no repercussions for his diabolical actions. In one story, a religious leader ignores the pleas of a suffering woman and chooses to side with her husband, a man he knows has committed a great injustice against his wife.
"His past does not rise up to dance in public. The present doesn’t touch him. He does not have to remain shyly in the shadows.”
In some stories, men were present everywhere but the home. There seems to be grotesque glorification when it comes to producing children—a high volume of children, particularly boys, is seen in some cultures as a status symbol; solid proof of manhood and virility. It’s ironic, then, that those same children that were once so deeply desired and coveted are swiftly neglected and abandoned by fathers, their duty of producing offspring complete. Fatherhood is explored in various was, and as one story goes, a father abandons his family when his wife doesn’t give birth to boys. Motherhood is explored in a similar manner; mothers are depicted as subservient and lacking agency, used for little more than reproduction and domestic chores despite having dreams to pursue education or another path in life that doesn’t involve marriage or child-rearing. Resistance by women is portrayed in subtle yet sometimes drastic ways.
Faith is woven into almost every story, acting both as a source of solace and agony. Mushtaq showcases faith in the village as something that is natural and embedded in every fibre of society. It forms a part of everyday vernacular, rituals and norms.
Many stories functioned as an exposé on the hypocrisy of religious leadership, particularly when it came to intentions, attitude towards women, and parading one’s lofty religious status. Mushtaq boldly depicts how faith, or a misunderstanding of it, can be used to justify the worst types of injustices, not just by imparting inane advice to those seeking help, but by directly perpetrating and perpetuating injustice.
“Mutawallis don’t know the law themselves.”
The quote above succinctly captures how a lack of proper Islamic knowledge can have damaging repercussions on a community. What was refreshing was that the stories, though quite heavy handed with the religious critique, didn’t seem to villainise or demonise religion (though perhaps the very last story can be seen as a more overt critique due to it being addressed to God—it reminded me of Iqbal’s Shikwa / Jawab-e-Shikwa).
Someone at book club aptly described Heart Lamp as “not a redemptive collection of stories”. The purpose of the stories, and indeed the work as whole, was not to conjure up scenarios where women come out on top and successfully dismantle the oppressive structures that kept them bound, but to demonstrate the impact patriarchal culture and misogynistic double standards can have on women. Most stories ended on a disappointing rather than redemptive note.
“I begged you not to make me stop studying. None of you listened to me. Many of my classmates are not even married, and yet I have become an old woman.”
The conscious choice to leave certain words untranslated had a powerful effect, especially for readers unfamiliar with South Asian culture. The raw, unapologetic presence of the words on the pages forces the reader to engage with the work on a deeper level and to employ a more conscious effort to understand the narrative and dialogues from context. A lack of translation lends itself to authenticity and forces English to make room for Kannada, whilst remaining highly accessible and readable for a non-Kannada speaking audience. As someone from a South Asian background, it was easy to pick up the meaning of the words from context, as many words are similar in various South Asian languages. It was interesting to come across new words too.
In all, Heart Lamp is a well-translated read that introduces the reader to a region and language they may not have read about or even knew existed before. As mentioned, some stories stand out more than others, but by and large they tackle similar themes and topics.
Many of the stories in Heart Lamp felt similar and at times indistinguishable from one another in terms of characters, themes and storylines. I’m not sure if this is because I read the book in a couple of short sittings and so it all began to blur together, or if it’s due to the repetitive nature of the stories themselves. Presumably this was part intentional—to reflect the everyday lives of people in the region and highlight the common issues faced by women. Given that these stories span three decades, it was often difficult to differentiate between the stories that were written in 1990 and 2023. As with any collection of stories, some were more engaging and memorable than others. For me, these were:
• Black Cobras — Much of my book club preparation pertained to this particular story. Black Cobras centres on a woman who is abandoned by her husband and seeks the help of a local religious leader when she is left destitute with several young mouths to feed. The end of this story was particularly hard-hitting and I valued the solidarity amongst the women.
• The Shroud— A maid asks her mistress who is going on Hajj to bring back a shroud for her blessed with zamzam so that she can be wrapped in it when she passes away. This emotional story was one the few that explores servant/maid culture in the subcontinent.
• Fire Rain — A dark but satirical tale of a religious figure vowing to recover the corpse of a Muslim man from a Hindu cemetery.
• A Taste of Heaven — A bittersweet tale of a grandmother who is attached to an old, threadbare prayer mat.
• Heart Lamp — A woman and her children are abandoned by the father with a harrowing ending. I later discovered that the author drew from her personal experiences for this one which is rather upsetting.
A common theme amongst many of these stories was the inaction, neglect, or straight up resentment towards women in need. Though the treatment of women—or mistreatment, rather—appears to be getting more traction recently in terms of awareness and support globally, Mushtaq does well at highlighting the ongoing systemic issues faced by women. Literature can be a thoughtful and effective avenue to bring to the fore long-standing gendered societal, cultural and faith-related challenges. In Heart Lamp, whether it was wives facing the backlash of their husbands’ poor choices, impoverished women beseeching unempathetic male religious authority for help, or brothers refusing to help their sisters, in most instances, the man in question faced little to no repercussions for his diabolical actions. In one story, a religious leader ignores the pleas of a suffering woman and chooses to side with her husband, a man he knows has committed a great injustice against his wife.
"His past does not rise up to dance in public. The present doesn’t touch him. He does not have to remain shyly in the shadows.”
In some stories, men were present everywhere but the home. There seems to be grotesque glorification when it comes to producing children—a high volume of children, particularly boys, is seen in some cultures as a status symbol; solid proof of manhood and virility. It’s ironic, then, that those same children that were once so deeply desired and coveted are swiftly neglected and abandoned by fathers, their duty of producing offspring complete. Fatherhood is explored in various was, and as one story goes, a father abandons his family when his wife doesn’t give birth to boys. Motherhood is explored in a similar manner; mothers are depicted as subservient and lacking agency, used for little more than reproduction and domestic chores despite having dreams to pursue education or another path in life that doesn’t involve marriage or child-rearing. Resistance by women is portrayed in subtle yet sometimes drastic ways.
Faith is woven into almost every story, acting both as a source of solace and agony. Mushtaq showcases faith in the village as something that is natural and embedded in every fibre of society. It forms a part of everyday vernacular, rituals and norms.
Many stories functioned as an exposé on the hypocrisy of religious leadership, particularly when it came to intentions, attitude towards women, and parading one’s lofty religious status. Mushtaq boldly depicts how faith, or a misunderstanding of it, can be used to justify the worst types of injustices, not just by imparting inane advice to those seeking help, but by directly perpetrating and perpetuating injustice.
“Mutawallis don’t know the law themselves.”
The quote above succinctly captures how a lack of proper Islamic knowledge can have damaging repercussions on a community. What was refreshing was that the stories, though quite heavy handed with the religious critique, didn’t seem to villainise or demonise religion (though perhaps the very last story can be seen as a more overt critique due to it being addressed to God—it reminded me of Iqbal’s Shikwa / Jawab-e-Shikwa).
Someone at book club aptly described Heart Lamp as “not a redemptive collection of stories”. The purpose of the stories, and indeed the work as whole, was not to conjure up scenarios where women come out on top and successfully dismantle the oppressive structures that kept them bound, but to demonstrate the impact patriarchal culture and misogynistic double standards can have on women. Most stories ended on a disappointing rather than redemptive note.
“I begged you not to make me stop studying. None of you listened to me. Many of my classmates are not even married, and yet I have become an old woman.”
The conscious choice to leave certain words untranslated had a powerful effect, especially for readers unfamiliar with South Asian culture. The raw, unapologetic presence of the words on the pages forces the reader to engage with the work on a deeper level and to employ a more conscious effort to understand the narrative and dialogues from context. A lack of translation lends itself to authenticity and forces English to make room for Kannada, whilst remaining highly accessible and readable for a non-Kannada speaking audience. As someone from a South Asian background, it was easy to pick up the meaning of the words from context, as many words are similar in various South Asian languages. It was interesting to come across new words too.
In all, Heart Lamp is a well-translated read that introduces the reader to a region and language they may not have read about or even knew existed before. As mentioned, some stories stand out more than others, but by and large they tackle similar themes and topics.
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
brilliant exploration of popular feminist themes. i really loved the quirks of each story. although i was initially put off by the style (stone slabs for shaista mahal), i grew to appreciate the tone and the sharp humour with which banu mushtaq writes. all of these are honest stories that centre women, whether they're morally grey, good, or straight up wicked. there's something universal that ties all of them together. deepa bhasthi's translator's note also struck me, the idea of being against italics and allowing readers to immerse themselves in the translation stood out, especially because i often read translations and have never stopped to think about how italics exoticise the very language the entire story is based on. fantastic read. standouts for me were the titular story heart lamp, black cobras and be a woman once, oh lord.
after more thought, I'm upping my rating for this one to 4 stars :)
3.5 Stars ----
I have lots of thoughts on this one.........So far on my journey reading the International Booker Prize longlist for 2025, there has been some really amazing works, although this book was not my personal favourite, it is still a really important piece of literature and deserved to win. Just because I, an English speaker, struggled with many parts of it, doesn't take away from the fact that it discusses really important topics, and not only important topics for the West, but also in India. I commend Banu Mushtaq and Deepa Bhasthai for shedding light on the sheer atrocities women in India face on a day-to-day basis. I think in the West we can get so caught up in our own problems we forget that there are still many places in which women are still fighting to be seen as human, and this book does an amazing job at shining a light on the mistreatment of women under the guise of religion from a non-western perspective. A really important read.
Personally, I found it hard to get into many of the stories. I struggled to comprehend what was going on as there seemed to be so many characters introduced in the span of a few pages and I just couldn't seem to remember who everyone was or what their purpose was in the story. I found as well that throughout alot of the stories, there were PAGES about some insignificant detail but the real issue presented in the story was skipped over in a paragraph, or the story just ended, hardly mentioning the most important parts. I don't think that critique is unique to this short story collection, though; it seems to be common in most, if not all, the short story collections I've read.
The two stories that really stood out to me were: Black Cobra's and Heart Lamp, both of which I think encapsulate the point of this collection really well. Essentially showcasing the oppression of women in Islam and how poorly they are treated under the guise of religion. It was heartbreaking to read those two stories and know that although they are works of fiction, men do behave that way in real life, and continue to treat women like slaves who's only purpose is to bear them children, and once we can't fulfil that 'purpose' anymore, they move onto another women, repeating the cycle of abuse, whilst we are expected to raise those children and then die. All while the women never had a choice to marry these men in the first place, they were ripped away from their education and sold as child brides... UGH it's disgusting. Anyway, pretty much every story touches on some aspect of what I just wordvomited and it was just harrowing to read. I really struggled so I definitely recommend checking the trigger warnings, although I still recommend reading as it is so important to learn and understand about other cultures and their views on women, in order to dismantle those views (and the patriarchy).
It's also really cool to see works originally written in Kannada win such a big prize!
Quotes I liked:
-'Hakhdaar tarse toh angaar ka nuuh barse...If the one who has rights is displeased, a rain of fire will fall.'
-'No matter how simple some things might seem, they're not, or at least not always. People behave in strange and illogical ways when they're afraid they may have to take responsibility.'
-'Do you know what my new name way? His wife. My body, my mind were not my own.'
3.5 Stars ----
I have lots of thoughts on this one.........So far on my journey reading the International Booker Prize longlist for 2025, there has been some really amazing works, although this book was not my personal favourite, it is still a really important piece of literature and deserved to win. Just because I, an English speaker, struggled with many parts of it, doesn't take away from the fact that it discusses really important topics, and not only important topics for the West, but also in India. I commend Banu Mushtaq and Deepa Bhasthai for shedding light on the sheer atrocities women in India face on a day-to-day basis. I think in the West we can get so caught up in our own problems we forget that there are still many places in which women are still fighting to be seen as human, and this book does an amazing job at shining a light on the mistreatment of women under the guise of religion from a non-western perspective. A really important read.
Personally, I found it hard to get into many of the stories. I struggled to comprehend what was going on as there seemed to be so many characters introduced in the span of a few pages and I just couldn't seem to remember who everyone was or what their purpose was in the story. I found as well that throughout alot of the stories, there were PAGES about some insignificant detail but the real issue presented in the story was skipped over in a paragraph, or the story just ended, hardly mentioning the most important parts. I don't think that critique is unique to this short story collection, though; it seems to be common in most, if not all, the short story collections I've read.
The two stories that really stood out to me were: Black Cobra's and Heart Lamp, both of which I think encapsulate the point of this collection really well. Essentially showcasing the oppression of women in Islam and how poorly they are treated under the guise of religion. It was heartbreaking to read those two stories and know that although they are works of fiction, men do behave that way in real life, and continue to treat women like slaves who's only purpose is to bear them children, and once we can't fulfil that 'purpose' anymore, they move onto another women, repeating the cycle of abuse, whilst we are expected to raise those children and then die. All while the women never had a choice to marry these men in the first place, they were ripped away from their education and sold as child brides... UGH it's disgusting. Anyway, pretty much every story touches on some aspect of what I just wordvomited and it was just harrowing to read. I really struggled so I definitely recommend checking the trigger warnings, although I still recommend reading as it is so important to learn and understand about other cultures and their views on women, in order to dismantle those views (and the patriarchy).
It's also really cool to see works originally written in Kannada win such a big prize!
Quotes I liked:
-'Hakhdaar tarse toh angaar ka nuuh barse...If the one who has rights is displeased, a rain of fire will fall.'
-'No matter how simple some things might seem, they're not, or at least not always. People behave in strange and illogical ways when they're afraid they may have to take responsibility.'
-'Do you know what my new name way? His wife. My body, my mind were not my own.'
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes