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A review by deepakchecks
Leila by Prayaag Akbar
3.0
The Books on Toast show on Indian books of 2017 was what initiated me to pick up Leila. The premise sounded very interesting - a dystopian plot based on Indian society. The invisible walls of caste/religion/class we see around us today are real concrete walls in Leila. The people who venture to ignore the customs and societal order are targeted and punished, thus forcing the society to abide by the rules set. Ghettoizing becomes the norm and people are convinced that this is the best way to live and let-live.
Riz and Shalini are intermarried couples, move to the East-end (a mixed residential sector) and thus do not abide by the rules set by the community. The life goes smooth for a while, until a gang of political thugs enter their locality and after wrecking havoc on an ongoing party kidnap Shalini. Riz dies and Leila goes missing. The rest of the plot is Shalini enduring the punishment met out to her and her attempts to find Leila.
The themes indeed have a contemporary resonance, even the ending conveyed the sense of helplessness that can be related to and thus haunting. Despite the interesting ideas, I felt the boundaries weren't pushed enough, the writing strictly functional and the middle portions meandering.
Riz and Shalini are intermarried couples, move to the East-end (a mixed residential sector) and thus do not abide by the rules set by the community. The life goes smooth for a while, until a gang of political thugs enter their locality and after wrecking havoc on an ongoing party kidnap Shalini. Riz dies and Leila goes missing. The rest of the plot is Shalini enduring the punishment met out to her and her attempts to find Leila.
The themes indeed have a contemporary resonance, even the ending conveyed the sense of helplessness that can be related to and thus haunting. Despite the interesting ideas, I felt the boundaries weren't pushed enough, the writing strictly functional and the middle portions meandering.