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A review by trrrrrzzz
Leila by Prayaag Akbar
4.0
A spooky, sad dystopian story of the love of a mother set in a near-future India where, like the proverbial frog boiling slowly, religious extremism takes over almost without any push-back. Also an apt metaphor as climate change is the major factor causing the takeover. As areas of the city must encase their areas in, essentially, air-conditioned domes to survive- tribalism becomes extremely pronounced. The more westernized, secular family at the center of the story ends up with no place in society, suddenly disenfranchised, their daughter taken from them.
The story is similar in many ways to The Handmaid's Tale, where the main character has been subjected to years of reeducation. It is told in a series of flashbacks as she goes on a quest to find her missing daughter. The way all of these events have affected her mental health ends up being the story-
It is bleak, but so well-written, and the insights into the diversity of India's many cultures, ethnic groups, and belief systems, was fascinating and illuminating. I can't say i really enjoyed it, but the journey was worth it.
The story is similar in many ways to The Handmaid's Tale, where the main character has been subjected to years of reeducation. It is told in a series of flashbacks as she goes on a quest to find her missing daughter. The way all of these events have affected her mental health ends up being the story-
Spoiler
the ending brutal and unsatisfying.It is bleak, but so well-written, and the insights into the diversity of India's many cultures, ethnic groups, and belief systems, was fascinating and illuminating. I can't say i really enjoyed it, but the journey was worth it.