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A review by meowlvika
The Inner Courtyard: Stories By Indian Women by Lakshmi Holmström
5.0
Fantastic book and something I feel everyone should read. I love how diverse the authors are, in their themes and sentimentality, yet how they connect on this one platform, a kind of intimacy I feel that Indians especially women share, without even knowing. I don't even know if that makes sense or if I am being too poetic.
I do have a mixed reaction regarding the stories. Didn't really appreciate 'Draupadi' because I remember reading it a long time back when I was writing a paper for class, and articles on the story didn't really leave a favourable impression on me. Devi becomes problematic if you read the story from the aadivasi perspective, but then the message she's trying to convey is pretty direct and well presented so I guess it's fine as long as we don't slip into the conceit of assuming something about groups we know nothing of. But as I have already mentioned, my criticism of this particular story largely comes from what we've done in the class. I am sure if I write papers on other stories, I'll find them problematic as well.
I really liked 'Revenge herself' and 'The Library Girl'. Mrinal Pandey's 'Girls' was a trip down the memory lane (we had it for our 12th boards) 'Rhythms' was a synaesthetic experience, 'summer vacation' was another delightful tale (I do confess that my bias comes from my love for Kamala Das)
I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who's interested in short stories, feminist writing, Indian authors and especially women authors. Honestly, this is one book I wish for everyone to read. You might discover new authors (I did), you might indulge in the old ones. It's a good experience, not chilling or disturbing, yet leaving you with a lingering sense of dissatisfaction mixed with a desire for more.
I do have a mixed reaction regarding the stories. Didn't really appreciate 'Draupadi' because I remember reading it a long time back when I was writing a paper for class, and articles on the story didn't really leave a favourable impression on me. Devi becomes problematic if you read the story from the aadivasi perspective, but then the message she's trying to convey is pretty direct and well presented so I guess it's fine as long as we don't slip into the conceit of assuming something about groups we know nothing of. But as I have already mentioned, my criticism of this particular story largely comes from what we've done in the class. I am sure if I write papers on other stories, I'll find them problematic as well.
I really liked 'Revenge herself' and 'The Library Girl'. Mrinal Pandey's 'Girls' was a trip down the memory lane (we had it for our 12th boards) 'Rhythms' was a synaesthetic experience, 'summer vacation' was another delightful tale (I do confess that my bias comes from my love for Kamala Das)
I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who's interested in short stories, feminist writing, Indian authors and especially women authors. Honestly, this is one book I wish for everyone to read. You might discover new authors (I did), you might indulge in the old ones. It's a good experience, not chilling or disturbing, yet leaving you with a lingering sense of dissatisfaction mixed with a desire for more.