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A review by naddie_reads
Abandon by Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
slow-paced
4.0
Abandon is one of those books that is hard to classify, even after I've left my thoughts to stew overnight. It is a story about motherhood and the burden society puts on widows or single mothers, as it delves into the ways in which society has provided no safety nets for these women to fall back on. With little to no help forthcoming and inefficient bureaucracy issues obstructing the women's fight for survival (for themselves and/or their children), it's no wonder mothers inevitably opt for the "easiest" choice in order to live -- hence the title.
The novel is written with an interesting perspective, and the technique of separating Ishwari-the-character and Ishwari's consciousness into two separate characters sort of brings to mind the Japanese's "i-novel" literary fiction genre when it comes to the choice of narrators in charge of this story. In this way, the novel also discusses the issue of art vs. empathy, where an argument is made that the art we see
The novel is written with an interesting perspective, and the technique of separating Ishwari-the-character and Ishwari's consciousness into two separate characters sort of brings to mind the Japanese's "i-novel" literary fiction genre when it comes to the choice of narrators in charge of this story. In this way, the novel also discusses the issue of art vs. empathy, where an argument is made that the art we see
vis-à-vis literature only exists to put itself forward first and foremost, and thus art will oftentimes make use of its subjects (e.g. poverty, motherhood) to elicit sympathy or empathy ultimately for its own gain. When the objective of art for art's sake has been satisfied, the subjects of these studies are then set aside and abandoned in favor of the next art project.
Lastly: Poor, poor Roo -- while I felt a lot of things towards Ishwari and her (non-)choices, there's no denying the impact of these choices on the poor child, even as his mother tries her best. That ending definitely made a lasting impression on me. In short, this was a poignant read.
Lastly: Poor, poor Roo -- while I felt a lot of things towards Ishwari and her (non-)choices, there's no denying the impact of these choices on the poor child, even as his mother tries her best. That ending definitely made a lasting impression on me. In short, this was a poignant read.