Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
The Books on Toast show on Indian books of 2017 was what initiated me to pick up Leila. The premise sounded very interesting - a dystopian plot based on Indian society. The invisible walls of caste/religion/class we see around us today are real concrete walls in Leila. The people who venture to ignore the customs and societal order are targeted and punished, thus forcing the society to abide by the rules set. Ghettoizing becomes the norm and people are convinced that this is the best way to live and let-live.
Riz and Shalini are intermarried couples, move to the East-end (a mixed residential sector) and thus do not abide by the rules set by the community. The life goes smooth for a while, until a gang of political thugs enter their locality and after wrecking havoc on an ongoing party kidnap Shalini. Riz dies and Leila goes missing. The rest of the plot is Shalini enduring the punishment met out to her and her attempts to find Leila.
The themes indeed have a contemporary resonance, even the ending conveyed the sense of helplessness that can be related to and thus haunting. Despite the interesting ideas, I felt the boundaries weren't pushed enough, the writing strictly functional and the middle portions meandering.
Riz and Shalini are intermarried couples, move to the East-end (a mixed residential sector) and thus do not abide by the rules set by the community. The life goes smooth for a while, until a gang of political thugs enter their locality and after wrecking havoc on an ongoing party kidnap Shalini. Riz dies and Leila goes missing. The rest of the plot is Shalini enduring the punishment met out to her and her attempts to find Leila.
The themes indeed have a contemporary resonance, even the ending conveyed the sense of helplessness that can be related to and thus haunting. Despite the interesting ideas, I felt the boundaries weren't pushed enough, the writing strictly functional and the middle portions meandering.
Gripping from the very start, this novel is immensely readable. No frills or clunkiness to distract or annoy, Akbar has a wonderful style of writing.
A word for the production quality: this book is beautiful---to read and to hold. The jacket illustration by Harshad Marathe is stunning! If you even read just the first chapter, the illustration will blow your mind with how apt and lovely it is.
As for the story itself, many have called it 'dystopian'. How I wish I could call it a dystopian novel. The walls, the repeaters are our reality today, only the walls are not a physical manifestation yet.
Perhaps a better defining genre might be horror. Because it is the horror of our times.
My only grouse was regarding the discussion about the world abroad (a small part where it talks about the US, etc.). It is an unnecessary interval that opens up questions without answering any. And leads to nothing either. It could have been cropped out to make the novel flow better and tighter.
'Leila' is both terrifying and terrific. One of the best debut novels I have read in recent times.
A word for the production quality: this book is beautiful---to read and to hold. The jacket illustration by Harshad Marathe is stunning! If you even read just the first chapter, the illustration will blow your mind with how apt and lovely it is.
As for the story itself, many have called it 'dystopian'. How I wish I could call it a dystopian novel. The walls, the repeaters are our reality today, only the walls are not a physical manifestation yet.
Perhaps a better defining genre might be horror. Because it is the horror of our times.
My only grouse was regarding the discussion about the world abroad (a small part where it talks about the US, etc.). It is an unnecessary interval that opens up questions without answering any. And leads to nothing either. It could have been cropped out to make the novel flow better and tighter.
'Leila' is both terrifying and terrific. One of the best debut novels I have read in recent times.
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A woman's search for her daughter who was separated from her as a toddler by the "culture police" of the society as a punishment for marrying out of her religion. Sounds eerily familiar to something you might have read of in the papers? Well, the book is supposed to be dystopian themed but everything in it comes very close to fitting the bill in our present day world (more specifically, Indian society). The kind of stuff that creeps you out and makes you squirm in your seat.
I thought the content of the novel was very well compiled, though the writing did not quite win my heart at times. Often it felt like the big picture was being lost in the fine details like the description of a building or a street. But nevertheless, a very impressive debut novel.
I thought the content of the novel was very well compiled, though the writing did not quite win my heart at times. Often it felt like the big picture was being lost in the fine details like the description of a building or a street. But nevertheless, a very impressive debut novel.
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Islamophobia
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Leila is a novel of, and for, our times. Prayaag Akbar conjures up a terrifyingly plausible reality where various 'communities' (read: castes and religions) are assigned separate 'sectors,' hidden away behind imposing walls in an unnamed, yet distinctly Indian city. The roots of these divisions are evidently borrowed from the quietly segregated societies we live in, and extrapolated to a tangible dystopia.
Borrowing elements from classics such as 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale, Prayaag tells a startlingly human story of love and loss, in an atmosphere of social divisions turned on their head. It's easy to get lost in the messaging of the novel, but Prayaag ensures we're always rooted to the devastated life of 'protagonist' Shalini, looking for her long-lost daughter, Leila. The emotions of the characters are laid forth in brutal, clear phrasing - there is no escape from what they face.
The flashback sequences, which form a significant chunk of the book, reveal the slow-but-sure march to the absolutist state in the 'present,' presenting recognizable versions of a police state, violent fundamentalist forces (who emphasize 'purity' and an adherence to 'traditions') and the role of caste and class privilege. I had to pause and catch my breath at several moments throughout the book, since anyone who's even vaguely aware of the happenings in the India around us should be able to recognize just how close we are to the version of the country described here- although we wish it to be surreal, it's startlingly visceral.
There are a few minor quibbles I had with the pacing of the plot, which sags in a few places, and awkwardly speeds up towards the end, but these detract very little from the book.
Leila is an extremely important, uncomfortably accurate novel that truly toes a fine line between fiction and non-fiction. Given Prayaag Akbar's background as a journalist, this isn't surprising. Read this book, and think about what its world entails. And then ask yourself if this is a world you want to live in. If it is, you're part of the problem. If it's not, be a part of the solution.
Borrowing elements from classics such as 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale, Prayaag tells a startlingly human story of love and loss, in an atmosphere of social divisions turned on their head. It's easy to get lost in the messaging of the novel, but Prayaag ensures we're always rooted to the devastated life of 'protagonist' Shalini, looking for her long-lost daughter, Leila. The emotions of the characters are laid forth in brutal, clear phrasing - there is no escape from what they face.
The flashback sequences, which form a significant chunk of the book, reveal the slow-but-sure march to the absolutist state in the 'present,' presenting recognizable versions of a police state, violent fundamentalist forces (who emphasize 'purity' and an adherence to 'traditions') and the role of caste and class privilege. I had to pause and catch my breath at several moments throughout the book, since anyone who's even vaguely aware of the happenings in the India around us should be able to recognize just how close we are to the version of the country described here- although we wish it to be surreal, it's startlingly visceral.
There are a few minor quibbles I had with the pacing of the plot, which sags in a few places, and awkwardly speeds up towards the end, but these detract very little from the book.
Leila is an extremely important, uncomfortably accurate novel that truly toes a fine line between fiction and non-fiction. Given Prayaag Akbar's background as a journalist, this isn't surprising. Read this book, and think about what its world entails. And then ask yourself if this is a world you want to live in. If it is, you're part of the problem. If it's not, be a part of the solution.
This is a gripping read from beginning to end. Set in a chilling near future in an India where the wealthy live in walled communities with clean air and water, and the poor scavenge through rubbish to survive. Shalini was once one of the privileged, until she marries a man of a different community and has a daughter. But the nationalist Purity movement has gained power and Shalini's daughter is taken away. Shalini herself survives re-education in a Purity Camp and dedicates the rest of her life to searching for her daughter. With echoes of The Handmaid's Tale, and vivid depictions of the climate crisis, this well-written novel has garnered many awards. It deserves every one of them.