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namakurhea's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
There’s a quote saying that we see people not as they are, but as we are. This is what happened in Geetanjali Shree’s “Mai: Silently Mother”.
The story is narrated by mai’s daughter Sunaina. Suni lived in a three-generation household along with her brother, parents, and grandparents somewhere in North India. The family had two helpers.. no, three actually, because mai was treated as such. She was at the in-laws’ and husband’s beck and call; ready to do their bidding. Talking back was not allowed. When she wants to go out, she was told to stay in and she obediently obliged. As she and her brother, Subodh, grew older, Suni wondered how come her mother is so spineless and weak. Why did she not speak out? she’d wonder. Suni and Subodh then hatched a plan to rescue their mother. But… did the mother really need help? Was she truly unhappy? Have Suni and Subodh looked at things from their own point of view?
I find this book more like an analysis of what it means to be a mother. And also a reminder that there is a person behind the veil of motherhood; a person with their own stories. I can see parts of myself in Suni and Subodh’s shoes. I, too, have grown up seeing my mother only as a mom. Casting her in the role of an opressed individual. But perhaps she was not. Perhaps her own silence and acceptance is the very proof of her strength; one that I have naively overlooked.
Some people devour books. But not with this one. “Mai: Silently Mother” devours the reader. Through its exquisite prose and layered story, I was swallowed straight into the deep end; not coming out to breathe until its very last page.
The story is narrated by mai’s daughter Sunaina. Suni lived in a three-generation household along with her brother, parents, and grandparents somewhere in North India. The family had two helpers.. no, three actually, because mai was treated as such. She was at the in-laws’ and husband’s beck and call; ready to do their bidding. Talking back was not allowed. When she wants to go out, she was told to stay in and she obediently obliged. As she and her brother, Subodh, grew older, Suni wondered how come her mother is so spineless and weak. Why did she not speak out? she’d wonder. Suni and Subodh then hatched a plan to rescue their mother. But… did the mother really need help? Was she truly unhappy? Have Suni and Subodh looked at things from their own point of view?
I find this book more like an analysis of what it means to be a mother. And also a reminder that there is a person behind the veil of motherhood; a person with their own stories. I can see parts of myself in Suni and Subodh’s shoes. I, too, have grown up seeing my mother only as a mom. Casting her in the role of an opressed individual. But perhaps she was not. Perhaps her own silence and acceptance is the very proof of her strength; one that I have naively overlooked.
Some people devour books. But not with this one. “Mai: Silently Mother” devours the reader. Through its exquisite prose and layered story, I was swallowed straight into the deep end; not coming out to breathe until its very last page.
shutupdivs's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
reading gitanjali shree's "mai" got me reflecting on my own life and those of my female brethren. this book is a meticulously put together work of sheer literary brilliance. the narrative keeps going back and forth which adds to one's curiosity while the prose is absolutely sublime and heartfelt. my own thoughts, experiences and worldviews were reflected in sunaina's, which forged in me a deep personal connection with this book. i am simply in love with geetanjali shree and i cannot wait to check out the rest of her work <3
cristhebird's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
kim03's review against another edition
3.0
I hated this.
And what i hat the most about it is that it wasn't even that bad, but reading it felt horrible (because i wanted to do everything but) so that definitely influenced me...
And what i hat the most about it is that it wasn't even that bad, but reading it felt horrible (because i wanted to do everything but) so that definitely influenced me...
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