Scan barcode
sumitbhagat's review
5.0
A highly remarkable original novel by an Indian writer. Akbar's dystopia is right up there for me with that of Huxley or Orwell, only that it touches a nerve closer to home.
kirstinbrie's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
azaadsadiq's review against another edition
3.0
I'm giving this one three stars because I'm not sure if I actually read the novel proper; Leila was originally published by Simon & Schuster in 2017, but I ended up reading an edition by Faber & Faber, and according to a Wikipedia summary they seem quite different. This sounds weird, but would explain why I felt less enamoured with what I read than most.
It has to be emphasised that the themes that the novel discusses are absolutely pertinent at present, and Akbar succeeds in linking them together, as they often are in reality. Rising nationalism is often linked to economic and environmental concerns. He also examines the nuances of Indian and wider South Asian societies with regards to caste, class, religion and other divisions well.
However, Akbar's choice to present the story in a non linear fashion makes it hard to follow. How this dystopia came to be is never clearly presented, and Akbar's sparse writing style meant that getting a detailed picture was hard. Of course, these flaws may be due to the aforementioned discrepancies in publication. Still, it meant that my particular reading experience felt haphazard a lot of the time, and at times I struggled to get through Leila.
As for the characters, I do appreciate the effort to make Shalini a realistic product of her upbringing and environment, but at times felt that she became a bit too unsympathetic. Not that it diminishes the horror she endures throughout the course of the novel.
Given my confusion as to whether or not I read the actual novel, I can't in good faith recommend it until I can clarify exactly what I read.
It has to be emphasised that the themes that the novel discusses are absolutely pertinent at present, and Akbar succeeds in linking them together, as they often are in reality. Rising nationalism is often linked to economic and environmental concerns. He also examines the nuances of Indian and wider South Asian societies with regards to caste, class, religion and other divisions well.
However, Akbar's choice to present the story in a non linear fashion makes it hard to follow. How this dystopia came to be is never clearly presented, and Akbar's sparse writing style meant that getting a detailed picture was hard. Of course, these flaws may be due to the aforementioned discrepancies in publication. Still, it meant that my particular reading experience felt haphazard a lot of the time, and at times I struggled to get through Leila.
As for the characters, I do appreciate the effort to make Shalini a realistic product of her upbringing and environment, but at times felt that she became a bit too unsympathetic. Not that it diminishes the horror she endures throughout the course of the novel.
Given my confusion as to whether or not I read the actual novel, I can't in good faith recommend it until I can clarify exactly what I read.
readinginthetropics's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.0
laurareads87's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Leila follows, and is first-person narrated by, Shalini, a mother searching for her daughter Leila. The book alternates between Leila's past -- her childhood, meeting her husband Riz, and their life together as interfaith newlyweds and new parents -- and her present, in a city starkly stratified by class, caste, and religion. This is a society in which women are treated as bearers of culture and "Purity For All" is prized above all else, and which is rapidly becoming more divided and more polluted as class divides widen. In the present, Leila is an outcast, labelled as having been 'impure' for her marriage to a man of a different religion from a different 'sector' of town (he being Muslim, she Hindu). This was really, really well done -- Akbar has managed extraordinary character development for such a short book, and has created a vision of a future that is truly disturbing in that it is profoundly believable. I did wish the ending was handled a little bit differently -- it just feels very, very abrupt after such effective build-up, though it is certainly jarring -- but I absolutely recommend this to readers of dystopian near-future fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
ladymirtazapine's review against another edition
4.0
CN: Sectarian hatred, abuse, and violence, fire, missing/kidnapped small child, misogyny, mention of bodily fluids, imprisonment, social rejection, sexual assault, drug addiction, mental illness, death of a parent, probable death of a spouse.
Reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale but somehow more realistic, and with an even more disturbing final scene. Possibly as it's a more modern novel, so the technology and climate crisis are more recognisable.
The world building of this dystopian future India is excellent. The descriptions of the heat were so vivid I had to put my fan on.
The portrayal of the ways the impact of climate changed differed depending on one's wealth and class was depressingly plausible.
I also liked the way the narrator was presented as imperfect, in recognition that the liberal society she wishes to live in is equally flawed. It makes it more understandable that people would choose the Purity system as an alternative.
Reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale but somehow more realistic, and with an even more disturbing final scene. Possibly as it's a more modern novel, so the technology and climate crisis are more recognisable.
The world building of this dystopian future India is excellent. The descriptions of the heat were so vivid I had to put my fan on.
The portrayal of the ways the impact of climate changed differed depending on one's wealth and class was depressingly plausible.
I also liked the way the narrator was presented as imperfect, in recognition that the liberal society she wishes to live in is equally flawed. It makes it more understandable that people would choose the Purity system as an alternative.
starryeyedenigma's review against another edition
3.0
This first Indian authored dystopian fiction that I read, based on a recommendation from a book tuber. The story is straight forward and simply written. It is about a mother who sees her life tumble down as extreme caste politics takes over everything and destroys freedom and equality as we know it today. And in between all this, a mother loses her three year old daughter and spends sixteen years looking for her. The whole story is dark and really depressing. I couldn’t grasp the ending that well either, it is quite open ended and leaves a lot for discussion and debate. This is going to be made into a Netflix series so I’m interested to see how the series turns out to be.
But overall, this was a little too dark and depressing for me.
But overall, this was a little too dark and depressing for me.
sudeepta_booksteaandmore's review against another edition
4.0
The book is based on a futuristic Indian city where we have high walls dividing all. Within the areas of these walls specific community reside and no intermixing is allowed. There is strict surveillance. If you break any rule than one has to face consequences and one is pushed to fringes. In this, we follow the journey of Shalini who has broken one of the laws and now is in search of her daughter Leila.
This is a really engrossing book that will make you scared and emotional. The author has done an excellent job in terms of world-building and the pace of the novel keeps you engrossed. I loved the way how the author pinpoints to a lot of issue like environmental issues, class distinction in this short read.
For fans of dystopian, I highly recommend this one.
This is a really engrossing book that will make you scared and emotional. The author has done an excellent job in terms of world-building and the pace of the novel keeps you engrossed. I loved the way how the author pinpoints to a lot of issue like environmental issues, class distinction in this short read.
For fans of dystopian, I highly recommend this one.
skadinova's review against another edition
3.0
A very interesting concept which gave a lot of food for thought. Great to get a non-western perspective but not as well fleshed out as I would have liked. I felt let down by the ending.