A review by hyacinth_girl
A Married Woman by Manju Kapur

4.0

I really enjoyed this book, however, it was a little sad. In 310 pages, you see Astha's life completely fall apart. She falls in love many times, but is disappointed in some way in all of them. The first one was just a crush, the second wasn't parent approved, the third lasted the longest but ultimately ended in unhappiness, and the fourth one wasn't necessarily society approved. Her relationship with Pipee was definitely the one filled with the most love, passion and desire, but because of where they were in each of their lives, it just wasn't going to work. I felt happy for Astha when she began being intimate with Pipee (it was completely unexpected, but she needed it) but knew that it wouldn't last. Someone who is married can't have an affair with someone who is not married, it will never work. I don't want that to sound like I approve of affairs, but in Astha's case, she felt no love in her marriage and divorce is heavily frowned upon. In the end, it was probably for the best that she doesn't fully pursue her intimacy with Pipee because of the life she had already established, but it was a nice release from her everyday, mundane and unhappy life.