A review by coco_lolo
Sunlight on a Broken Column by Attia Hosain

4.0

I love when spontaneous book purchases go well. Sunlight on a Broken Column was an atmospheric, cerebral novel that allowed me to learn more about Indian culture during the first half of the twentieth century, as well as the strained relations between Muslims and Hindus and the encroaching collapse of the Indian aristocratic lifestyle. Hosain writes emotion without ever being sentimental, and Laila's voice was easy to slip into and sympathize with. I admittedly wish there had been a bit more emotion at times, specifically in the beginning when we're first introduced to the family and learn of Laila's orphaned status, but I could embrace the storytelling being influenced by Laila's Western education and ideals as well as her native sensibilities and the limitations she'd lived under. Most of the story was actually told to us, and for once this didn't bother me. What struck me most about the book was the female characters and how they all navigated the realms they'd been relegated to and how they chose to take whatever power they could.

"Have you no freedom of thought?" he asked with sarcasm.
"I have no freedom of action."