A review by thebookelf
Bhumika: A Story of Sita by Aditya Iyengar

4.0

I have read plenty of books from the same genre – retelling of Ramayana and Mahabharata, retelling of stories about Gods and Goddesses, but this one stood out in its own unique ways. The book is a retelling of the story of Sita, not just as a supporting character but as the protagonist.
The story is narrated through Bhumika, a character who portrays Sita in an alternate reality, a life where Sita doesn’t meet Ram.
The major highlight of the book are its characters. The strong, vivacious and level-headed character of Bhumika just won my heart. The way the relationship between the father and his daughter has been depicted is overwhelming. Though the underlying storyline is not very innovative, the narration and plot compensate for it. The storyline is very similar to Brave, an animated movie by Pixar. Wouldn’t be correct to drawn such an analogy, but reading stories about strong female leads breaking free through the shackles of patriarchy isn’t something very new these days.
Overall, the book is a breeze and can be completed in a single flow. The author has not gone into the intricacies of the mythology part, but I guess that is to give more depth to the character of Bhumika/Sita. The narration is as simple as it gets and I’m sure even those who don’t fancy reading the retelling of mythologies will enjoy this one since it isolates mythology from storytelling.