(I was sent this book for review by
the author)
“Solitude brings isolation
and sometimes that’s all you need to gather your pieces and put them back
together.”
Renu is a
middle-aged Indian woman whose life comprises of her husband, kids, and her
father-in-law’s endless taunts. But beyond this veil of the ideal, devoted
family woman, is a person who has several unfulfilled dreams and desires of her
own. So, what happens when Renu finally decides she no longer wants to remain
caged?
The
narrative opens in the present-day scenario where our protagonist is in her
late forties, and is being visited by her two kids, Aneisha and Avi. It is
established from the very beginning that the mother and daughter share a deep,
emotional bond. A scene in the prologue leads us to Renu taking the reader
through her journey, back to where it all began. We’re introduced to the
patriarchal atmosphere she’s subjected to: A nagging father-in-law, a distant
husband, and the monotony of domestic life. Renu finds momentary peace in her
kids’ laughter, but she desires so much more from life. She craves love, and wishes
her husband would see her as someone more than just the woman who looks after
his household. A crumbling marriage becomes the cause of the events that unfold
eventually and what follows is a woman discovering her own self.
Renu is an
archetype of a lot of Indian women her age. These are women you’ve met or known
your entire life. The author has very carefully crafted her so as to let her
audience see a glimpse of themselves in her actions and behavior. Behind the
demure aura lies a feisty being who isn’t afraid of exploring her sensuality. Shuchi
Singh Kalra has presented a true picture of the middle-class Indian society
which is still pretty steeped in age-old traditions. Although Renu’s naïve decisions
and doormat tendencies are not so prevalent these days, the representations
still hold true to a certain extent. It’s clear from the onset that the author
wants to portray Renu’s growth as that of a phoenix rising from her ashes, and
she manages to accomplish that quite decently, albeit not without some unmistakable
cringe-worthy episodes.
The novel has
an abundance of serious flaws. Touted as an erotica, some of the so-called
erotic scenes are absolutely unnecessary. It almost feels as if the writer was
going for a mix of Danielle Steel and E. L. James, but ended up on a stranded
island instead. One of the relationships in Renu’s life is way too instantaneous
to be believable; not to forget the overtly cheesy lines that pervade the pages
every now and then. The mystery is predictable and too convenient. Kalra truly
tries her best to incorporate feminism wherever she can, be it through the
endearing friendship between two women, or the unspoken understanding between Renu
and Aneisha. I personally wish we got to know more about the daughter and the
friend, since they were both very affable characters. The pretentious and
over-the-top emotional drama is what bothered me the most about this story. But
overall, I do have faith that the author will produce much better work in the
future.
Rating: 2.5/5.
