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A review by kerriboland
The Parcel by Anosh Irani
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I heard Anosh Irani speak at the Denman Island Readers and Writers festival in 2022 and found him to be so interesting, well-spoken, funny and insightful. I picked this book up that weekend.
I think this story is very important and needs to be told. That said, I would love to hear it by an #ownvoices author. I know that Irani is from this neighbourhood in Mumbai and I'm sure he did extensive research into the lives of prostitutes and hijras in the red-light district, but it still felt like an outsider looking in. I was also looking for a little more light in the story. I wanted to hear some of Irani's humour coming through. I understand that there's nothing funny about sex trafficking and prostitution as slavery, but it was clear that there were sibling-like relationships between some of these women and I would have loved to have read about some of the antics they got up to while taking care of each other.
I think this story is very important and needs to be told. That said, I would love to hear it by an #ownvoices author. I know that Irani is from this neighbourhood in Mumbai and I'm sure he did extensive research into the lives of prostitutes and hijras in the red-light district, but it still felt like an outsider looking in. I was also looking for a little more light in the story. I wanted to hear some of Irani's humour coming through. I understand that there's nothing funny about sex trafficking and prostitution as slavery, but it was clear that there were sibling-like relationships between some of these women and I would have loved to have read about some of the antics they got up to while taking care of each other.