Scan barcode
theshrinkette's review against another edition
5.0
Holy shit this book gives Atwood a run for her money. Utterly terrifying.
advcroft's review against another edition
4.0
After drawing you in so well, teasing out the backstory of how nationalism became wall-enforced apartheid, the ambiguous ending felt rather rushed. It echoed The Handmaid's Tale in deliberately leaving the reader with unanswered questions.
theliteraryhooker's review against another edition
4.0
I came across this book in a BookRiot article, and immediately set about hunting down a copy. The blurb was fantastic, and it sounded completely different from any dystopian novel I've read to date. Luckily, the book delivered on all of my expectations and more!
I think this may be the first time I've read a dystopian with a clearly non-western setting; most are set in North America, with a smattering of European settings, but I don't think I've ever read one set in Asia. So that alone made this book unique and interesting to me; it offered a much different view on a dystopian society, one that feels frighteningly possible. It reminded me a bit of The Handmaid's Tale, though with an opposite scenario where women who don't "fit" the new society isolated and not allowed to have or raise children.
This is a spectacularly emotional read. I got literal chills reading certain parts of the novel, and found myself riveted to the page. Between the unique plot and the incredible writing, the author truly brings the reader into his world. An excellent read, and well worth hunting down for anyone who enjoys a good dystopia.
I think this may be the first time I've read a dystopian with a clearly non-western setting; most are set in North America, with a smattering of European settings, but I don't think I've ever read one set in Asia. So that alone made this book unique and interesting to me; it offered a much different view on a dystopian society, one that feels frighteningly possible. It reminded me a bit of The Handmaid's Tale, though with an opposite scenario where women who don't "fit" the new society isolated and not allowed to have or raise children.
This is a spectacularly emotional read. I got literal chills reading certain parts of the novel, and found myself riveted to the page. Between the unique plot and the incredible writing, the author truly brings the reader into his world. An excellent read, and well worth hunting down for anyone who enjoys a good dystopia.
jaya's review against another edition
5.0
I got a copy of the book after watching the Netflix show, so I was obviously looking for similarities and differences between the two, and the impact those had on me as a viewer/reader. My review will focus on the same.
I think that the book did a really good job telling a very difficult story. The book is narrated from Shalini's POV, which makes her character and her inner resolve clearer to me. Her steely determination really shines through, and her journey to her daughter is fascinating. Another thing that the book does beautifully is the narration of the gradual decline of the society into the dystopia that exists in the present day. Details about Shalini's childhood add a depth to the story that I found lacking in the show.
Prayaag Akbar's dystopia is real and scary, but the show manages to paint a more vivid picture of it. The pollution, degradation and depravation have a lesser impact on me in the novel. Maybe it's because Shalini barely notices and narrates her hardships. So list she is in her drugged search for Leila.
Over all, the book is a real page-turner, even if you've seen the show. The story-telling style is very engrossing, and the dystopia real and familiar.
I think that the book did a really good job telling a very difficult story. The book is narrated from Shalini's POV, which makes her character and her inner resolve clearer to me. Her steely determination really shines through, and her journey to her daughter is fascinating. Another thing that the book does beautifully is the narration of the gradual decline of the society into the dystopia that exists in the present day. Details about Shalini's childhood add a depth to the story that I found lacking in the show.
Prayaag Akbar's dystopia is real and scary, but the show manages to paint a more vivid picture of it. The pollution, degradation and depravation have a lesser impact on me in the novel. Maybe it's because Shalini barely notices and narrates her hardships. So list she is in her drugged search for Leila.
Over all, the book is a real page-turner, even if you've seen the show. The story-telling style is very engrossing, and the dystopia real and familiar.
lonesomereader's review against another edition
4.0
There’s been a notably high number of dystopian novels being published in recent years and it feels like this reflects a widespread anxiety. Novels such as “Station Eleven”, “The Country of Ice Cream Star”, “The Power” and “Hazards of Time Travel” have all taken very different approaches to creating scarily convincing counter-realities to our present landscape, especially in regards to misogynistic attitudes towards women. It’s always interesting to see how new dystopian fiction tries to create an urgent, radical dialogue with society today. The presumption being: if we don’t pay attention to what’s happening around us this nightmarish landscape might come sooner than we think. In the case of “The Handmaid’s Tale”, Atwood has famously said the novel contains nothing which hasn’t already happened in the world.
Prayaag Akbar’s debut novel “Leila” deals directly with issues of the caste system in India which has such a far-reaching, complex history and continues to incite horrific instances of violence. The novel takes the divisions between castes to the extreme where physical walls are erected to separate communities from each other, shore in resources for members of “elite” castes and strive towards a “purity” of race and social status. This is filtered through the perspective of Shalini who mourns the disappearance of her daughter Leila when she was suddenly lost after Shalini was seized and taken to a government-sanctioned reform camp. For years she’s secretly schemed how to find her daughter again amidst an aggressively conservative and strict system. Finally her plans might be carried out. We follow her journey as she puts her plot into action and recalls the horrific events which led to this dire situation.
Read my full review of Leila by Prayaag Akbar on LonesomeReader
Prayaag Akbar’s debut novel “Leila” deals directly with issues of the caste system in India which has such a far-reaching, complex history and continues to incite horrific instances of violence. The novel takes the divisions between castes to the extreme where physical walls are erected to separate communities from each other, shore in resources for members of “elite” castes and strive towards a “purity” of race and social status. This is filtered through the perspective of Shalini who mourns the disappearance of her daughter Leila when she was suddenly lost after Shalini was seized and taken to a government-sanctioned reform camp. For years she’s secretly schemed how to find her daughter again amidst an aggressively conservative and strict system. Finally her plans might be carried out. We follow her journey as she puts her plot into action and recalls the horrific events which led to this dire situation.
Read my full review of Leila by Prayaag Akbar on LonesomeReader
vcrog's review against another edition
3.0
This has a very Handmaids Tale vibe to it - which is no bad thing! The creeping sense of dread at learning Shalini’s history is extremely well done, but then it just kind of ends, and nothing is really resolved. This feels like maybe 2/3 of a book - I would have liked more about the society that Shalini lives in, do they actually worship air conditioners?
This has great potential, but just feels very rushed at the end.
This has great potential, but just feels very rushed at the end.
paintedverse's review against another edition
3.0
No, Mama, prop me up to a high ceilinged garden. My tiny feet, they will walk on the artificial grass and sustain in an artificial environment. But Mama, never would I ever think of traversing the world with you.
- The Leila I created in my mind
Never before has a speculative fiction made me so uncomfortable and fearful. After all, even though they were fearsome, they didn't feel like home while this, Leila by Prayaag Akbar, felt so close to home that it started feeling like I am living in it. This book doesn't feel distant, it doesn't feel like a far-fetched future that might someday be our reality. It is now. This class division, this caste discrimination, this climate crisis - all of it is as real as our yearning for development. The only condition that it needs to fulfill in order to be called a social fiction instead of a speculative fiction is that the country turning its imaginative walls into real, concrete walls.
A work of fiction, especially a speculative fiction, I feel, can't represent the whole world in less than 400 pages. Thus, the novel is a representative of that large fragment of society that discriminates, oppresses, tolerates and resists everyday. It doesn't represent the handful of people who, either have been ignorant of the discrimination or have unlearned and learnt to love all. I have never felt that in my time, society has comprised itself with the poor, the oppressed, the intentionally forgotten and ignored section. In fact, I haven't ever believed in a society. It has always been an 'amalgamation' of various societies. Prayaag Akbar has done a wonderful job in depicting the fragmentary society that we live in. The only problem that I felt with the book is that it wasn't able to maintain its strength throughout the work. To me, it felt like the narration had lost itself as it started approaching the end. Don't let this opinion bar you from picking up this book though. This is a book that needs to be picked up, read, realised and change the self that you've been carrying with yourself all along. I realised that I have a dark side in me, have you?
- The Leila I created in my mind
Never before has a speculative fiction made me so uncomfortable and fearful. After all, even though they were fearsome, they didn't feel like home while this, Leila by Prayaag Akbar, felt so close to home that it started feeling like I am living in it. This book doesn't feel distant, it doesn't feel like a far-fetched future that might someday be our reality. It is now. This class division, this caste discrimination, this climate crisis - all of it is as real as our yearning for development. The only condition that it needs to fulfill in order to be called a social fiction instead of a speculative fiction is that the country turning its imaginative walls into real, concrete walls.
A work of fiction, especially a speculative fiction, I feel, can't represent the whole world in less than 400 pages. Thus, the novel is a representative of that large fragment of society that discriminates, oppresses, tolerates and resists everyday. It doesn't represent the handful of people who, either have been ignorant of the discrimination or have unlearned and learnt to love all. I have never felt that in my time, society has comprised itself with the poor, the oppressed, the intentionally forgotten and ignored section. In fact, I haven't ever believed in a society. It has always been an 'amalgamation' of various societies. Prayaag Akbar has done a wonderful job in depicting the fragmentary society that we live in. The only problem that I felt with the book is that it wasn't able to maintain its strength throughout the work. To me, it felt like the narration had lost itself as it started approaching the end. Don't let this opinion bar you from picking up this book though. This is a book that needs to be picked up, read, realised and change the self that you've been carrying with yourself all along. I realised that I have a dark side in me, have you?
pagesofelly's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This dystopian novel gripped me right from the start. I finished it in a couple of hours! And it left me feeling… all sorts of things (both good and bad).
The book is set in a dystopian world, sometime in the near future, where an obsession with purity is all-prevalent. There is a Purity One building, where deviant individuals and communities are confined to be treated. Behind those walls, an order prevails, where purity is upheld - with purity being defined by certain powers. Against this backdrop, the novel follows Shalini, a desperate mom, in search of her lost daughter, Leila. Sixteen years have passed and Shalini is so close to finding Leila, only to be betrayed by the harshest bitter truth.
This is a story of faith and longing, while delving deep into the complexities of grief. Through the plot, the author masterfully explores systemic issues of race, class and privilege, spotlighting the difficult choices that have to be confronted in life. It is a startling account of what organized powers can create, and perpetuate, allowing many lives to be lost and simply dismissed.
Leila is a beautiful piece of fiction that I’d highly recommend to all.
katie_greenwinginmymouth's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
More...