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A review by ghulsona
The Rice Mother by Rani Manicka
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It took me a while to get through this this one. 'The Rice Mother' took me about two months to complete because of how painful it is. Not to say it was a bad book, because it was genuinely a gorgeous piece of work.
This book mainly follows the life and experiences Lakshmi, who had come to Malaya from India after being duped into marrying a much older man. We see her experiences through marriage, children, and the Japanese occupation. The book also follows the lives of her descendants, showing how certain tragedies have irrevocably altered their lives and characters. The author has such a way with words. I loved the way she described things, truly a master of prose.
For me, the hardest part of the book to get through was the period of the Japanese occupation. Lots of trigger warnings for that part, so please make sure to read up on those if you plan on reading this book. However, I think what the author captures best is the intricacies of a South Asian/Southeast Asian family. The way Lakshmi hated her father and loved her mother, but had no idea how to comfort her, so she tried to turn a blind eye to her pain as a child. The way she resented her husband for being dimwitted and weak while still caring for him, the way she loved her children but can't help that sliver of disappointment when some of them took after her husband. The way it was really her keeping her family together through thick and thin, the way she had an ugly monster inside her that would rear its head whenever she gets angry. The way her children adored her, but feared her too. Maybe it was just for me, but I can see Lakshmi and her descendants in so many of the women and families around me, which is even when she is cruel and awful, I still cannot help but sympathizing with her.
I understand why people didn't really like the last quarter-ish of the book. By that point, the narrative focuses on Lakshmi's granddaughter, Dimple, and later on, Dimple's daughter, Nisha, and honestly it did feel like this part kind of dragged on. The titular character herself was barely present or mentioned during this part. However, I do feel like this part wasn't out of place in this book. It was a great exploration of how the pain, anger, and trauma gets passed down generation through generation. I think one of the best moments is Lakshmi's great-granddaughter, Nisha, discovers her family's history, and the reader is kind of left wondering whether this cycle will continue.
Overall, I really did appreciate this book a lot. Though heartbreaking, it was a truly captivating and gripping look at a family's history.
This book mainly follows the life and experiences Lakshmi, who had come to Malaya from India after being duped into marrying a much older man. We see her experiences through marriage, children, and the Japanese occupation. The book also follows the lives of her descendants, showing how certain tragedies have irrevocably altered their lives and characters. The author has such a way with words. I loved the way she described things, truly a master of prose.
For me, the hardest part of the book to get through was the period of the Japanese occupation. Lots of trigger warnings for that part, so please make sure to read up on those if you plan on reading this book. However, I think what the author captures best is the intricacies of a South Asian/Southeast Asian family. The way Lakshmi hated her father and loved her mother, but had no idea how to comfort her, so she tried to turn a blind eye to her pain as a child. The way she resented her husband for being dimwitted and weak while still caring for him, the way she loved her children but can't help that sliver of disappointment when some of them took after her husband. The way it was really her keeping her family together through thick and thin, the way she had an ugly monster inside her that would rear its head whenever she gets angry. The way her children adored her, but feared her too. Maybe it was just for me, but I can see Lakshmi and her descendants in so many of the women and families around me, which is even when she is cruel and awful, I still cannot help but sympathizing with her.
I understand why people didn't really like the last quarter-ish of the book. By that point, the narrative focuses on Lakshmi's granddaughter, Dimple, and later on, Dimple's daughter, Nisha, and honestly it did feel like this part kind of dragged on. The titular character herself was barely present or mentioned during this part. However, I do feel like this part wasn't out of place in this book. It was a great exploration of how the pain, anger, and trauma gets passed down generation through generation. I think one of the best moments is Lakshmi's great-granddaughter, Nisha, discovers her family's history, and the reader is kind of left wondering whether this cycle will continue.
Overall, I really did appreciate this book a lot. Though heartbreaking, it was a truly captivating and gripping look at a family's history.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Incest, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and War
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Suicide