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A review by stories_by_sharanja
Una ragazza disobbediente by Ru Freeman
5.0
I don't think I will ever recover from reading this book. I've never read a novel that had as many tragic female heroines as Ru Freeman's "A Disobedient Girl".
The story alternates between the lives of two Sri Lankan women, one being the young mother, Biso, and the other, Latha, a servant girl who wishes to be more than that.
Biso is running away with her three young children from an abusive husband. We learn that her youngest daughter is also a product of an affair that Biso had with a fellow villager, Suri, who was the love of her life. Suri was murdered by Biso's volatile husband, and this is one in many factors that leads to Biso's leaving of him. She decides to head up-country to her mother's sister's house, where she hopes that she and young ones will be welcomed. But she does not know that this journey will be wrought with tragedy and hard-learned lessons.
Running alongside Biso's story, is the story of Latha, who we meet as a young servant girl in the home of the Vithanages. She is the same as the their daughter, Thara, and growing up they are very close friends. But Vithanages treat Latha like she is an object mean to slave for them, and Latha secretly despises them and their privilege. After discovering that the Vithanages have not been paying her for the years of work she has committed to them, and among other slights, she indulges in a betrayal that will haunt her for the rest of her life.
"A Disobedient Girl" deals heavily with the status of women in Sri Lankan - Sinhalese culture. It was interesting reading about their views on promiscuity, adultery, and social status. It was a little heart breaking at times seeing that regardless of what the main characters did, one of these things would always follow and affect their journey negatively.
When compared, I actually thought Latha's chapters were a bit more exciting to read, if only because her chapters had a lot more mobility going on. Most of Biso's storyline involved her sitting on a train and analyzing each of her children, with the exception of a few traumatic events.
This book also dealt with themes concerning wealth and privilege. One of the key things Ru Freeman seems to state is that the wealthy are careless, and have extreme disregard for those who serve them. This message rings true when applied to the relationship between Thara and Latha, the former only paying attention to Latha when it suits her own purposes.
I have to say that this book did surprise me in terms of plot. When reading Biso and Latha's story lines at first, you would think that the two weren't linked at all, but there is a reason why there perspectives are woven throughout the story. Their journeys are not only mirrored because of their tragedies, but because of the connection these women have between them.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this book very much. I was very satisfied with the ending, especially when Latha finally got herself out of the toxic situation she was in. This book was both liberating and sad for me.
The story alternates between the lives of two Sri Lankan women, one being the young mother, Biso, and the other, Latha, a servant girl who wishes to be more than that.
Biso is running away with her three young children from an abusive husband. We learn that her youngest daughter is also a product of an affair that Biso had with a fellow villager, Suri, who was the love of her life. Suri was murdered by Biso's volatile husband, and this is one in many factors that leads to Biso's leaving of him. She decides to head up-country to her mother's sister's house, where she hopes that she and young ones will be welcomed. But she does not know that this journey will be wrought with tragedy and hard-learned lessons.
Running alongside Biso's story, is the story of Latha, who we meet as a young servant girl in the home of the Vithanages. She is the same as the their daughter, Thara, and growing up they are very close friends. But Vithanages treat Latha like she is an object mean to slave for them, and Latha secretly despises them and their privilege. After discovering that the Vithanages have not been paying her for the years of work she has committed to them, and among other slights, she indulges in a betrayal that will haunt her for the rest of her life.
"A Disobedient Girl" deals heavily with the status of women in Sri Lankan - Sinhalese culture. It was interesting reading about their views on promiscuity, adultery, and social status. It was a little heart breaking at times seeing that regardless of what the main characters did, one of these things would always follow and affect their journey negatively.
When compared, I actually thought Latha's chapters were a bit more exciting to read, if only because her chapters had a lot more mobility going on. Most of Biso's storyline involved her sitting on a train and analyzing each of her children, with the exception of a few traumatic events.
This book also dealt with themes concerning wealth and privilege. One of the key things Ru Freeman seems to state is that the wealthy are careless, and have extreme disregard for those who serve them. This message rings true when applied to the relationship between Thara and Latha, the former only paying attention to Latha when it suits her own purposes.
I have to say that this book did surprise me in terms of plot. When reading Biso and Latha's story lines at first, you would think that the two weren't linked at all, but there is a reason why there perspectives are woven throughout the story. Their journeys are not only mirrored because of their tragedies, but because of the connection these women have between them.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this book very much. I was very satisfied with the ending, especially when Latha finally got herself out of the toxic situation she was in. This book was both liberating and sad for me.