texreader 's review for:

The Aunt Who Wouldn't Die by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay

3.5

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Aunt Pishi married an elderly man when she was 7, and she was widowed at 12. Our main character Somlata comes from a poor family and marries into the once-wealthy Mitra family. Somlata comes into possession of Pishi’s box of gold jewelry when Pishi dies, gold that would help the family maintain its life of luxury but Pishi’s ghost threatens Somlata with death if the gold is given away. So, Somlata must find another way to help this family having to convince (and teach) the family that the solution will have to break generations of classism and entitlement. Pishi dies in old age but her ghost is annoyingly childish, and Boshon’s story is childish because she is a child. These issues—and an abrupt ending—make this a bumpy read. But Somlata’s story makes this very short book worth reading.