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This book needed editing.
Do NOT listen to it. I kept speeding it up. 1.10, 1.15, 1.2. I finally got up to 1.3 and made it through the end.
It was SO hard to figure out who the characters were and how they were connected. It felt like reading a wikipedia page with clickable links that I couldn't click while listening.
I honestly kind of hated it. I only finished it for Seattle Book Bingo.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deportation
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Abortion
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, Classism
The first few chapters were great – the gentleness and simplicity with which Roy touched themes usually considered taboo or niche made for a comforting read.
The story read like an ensemble of fables, and as such its characters are only briefly focused on, barely skimming the surface of their essence, touching only those traits of theirs that are relevant to the narrative. At the end of the second chapter, I grew fond of Anjum, but the narrator keeps such a distance that she feels in a way out of reach, visible only through binoculars that follow her as she moves her residence from place to place.
After a hundred pages focusing on her character and the people and places that make up her world, I really couldn't care less about the others at they came into frame quite abruptly. This could easily have been a two novels installments, as, though surely strictly interlinked, the two main stories fail to be seamlessly bound together. It felt like she couldn't decide which story to tell, which battle to fight in, so instead of making a collection of shorter stories, she tried very hard to fit everything into a single box, full to the brim, so that the reader ends up struggling to find anything at all. It was as if Roy was trying to fit as many of her opinions as she could into these pages, and then some more.
The men's voices fell particularly flat, like heroines' in a 1800s male novelist's work.
But all in all, I'm glad I read it – it's a heavily politicized book, with even heavier themes, so definitely not a light leisure read, but offers an important perspective nonetheless.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deportation
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content
Minor: Infidelity, Misogyny, Stalking, Suicide attempt
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Classism
Other than that, the book beautifully intertwines the struggles that the various minorities in India- gender minorities, religious minorities, caste minorities etc. have faced throughout the history of India and continue to face even today.
The parrelism between the various struggles of India, and the various struggles of the Indians often ignored and overlooked will almost well up your eyes at times, fill you with rage, with a longing for justice- but oftentimes the overly flamboyant descriptions suck the intensity out of those moments.
I am glad I picked this book up because it is informative and stirs your emotions, but i will also be honest, i almost gave up on this book many times.
Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, War, Classism