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A review by _askthebookbug
An Unrestored Woman by Shobha Rao
5.0
An Unrestored Woman - #bookrecommendation
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"My wife comes into the room, shutting out the sun as she closes the door, and lays the wad of bills on the table in front of me. I can't look at her. I want to feel shame but I only feel a thin pleasure, like a fine layer of skin, puckered and white and soulless, floating on cooling milk." - Shobha Rao.
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Set during the time of partition, this book of twelve short stories strikes a chord that seems deeply personal. As the title suggests, the protagonists are mostly women. Women of all kinds and ages. Apart from being a very intense read, it stirs up feelings that we often tend to forget about. There's helplessness, strength, courage, despair and many other emotions that did take a toll on me. The stories are not too difficult to comprehend but there's an underlying sense of pain that follows every word. It is often said and known that it was women who were much more adversely affected during the partition for they were abducted, raped and even killed. This book gives us a glimpse of what they might have gone through.
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There were few chapters that made me cringe like women being trapped in loveless marriages. Two women who meet at a refugee camp bond over few days and build a relationship which is beyond love. They are separated and the aftereffects of it kills one as the other woman goes on to become a rich woman. The Merchant's Mistress and An Unrestored Woman, the first two chapters set the pace for rest of the book. The most beautiful thing about the book is how they're interlinked, be it the characters or the stories. It's narrated stunningly and is extremely vivid. Women who sell their bodies to support their husbands, women who are raped for days and how Muslims and Hindus slaughtered each other like animals. It's a thought-provoking read.
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I would definitely recommend this to those who enjoy a powerful book. Something that'd make your blood run cold as you take in the lives of people who were born during that period.
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Rating - 5/5.
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"My wife comes into the room, shutting out the sun as she closes the door, and lays the wad of bills on the table in front of me. I can't look at her. I want to feel shame but I only feel a thin pleasure, like a fine layer of skin, puckered and white and soulless, floating on cooling milk." - Shobha Rao.
•
Set during the time of partition, this book of twelve short stories strikes a chord that seems deeply personal. As the title suggests, the protagonists are mostly women. Women of all kinds and ages. Apart from being a very intense read, it stirs up feelings that we often tend to forget about. There's helplessness, strength, courage, despair and many other emotions that did take a toll on me. The stories are not too difficult to comprehend but there's an underlying sense of pain that follows every word. It is often said and known that it was women who were much more adversely affected during the partition for they were abducted, raped and even killed. This book gives us a glimpse of what they might have gone through.
•
There were few chapters that made me cringe like women being trapped in loveless marriages. Two women who meet at a refugee camp bond over few days and build a relationship which is beyond love. They are separated and the aftereffects of it kills one as the other woman goes on to become a rich woman. The Merchant's Mistress and An Unrestored Woman, the first two chapters set the pace for rest of the book. The most beautiful thing about the book is how they're interlinked, be it the characters or the stories. It's narrated stunningly and is extremely vivid. Women who sell their bodies to support their husbands, women who are raped for days and how Muslims and Hindus slaughtered each other like animals. It's a thought-provoking read.
•
I would definitely recommend this to those who enjoy a powerful book. Something that'd make your blood run cold as you take in the lives of people who were born during that period.
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Rating - 5/5.