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A review by thebobsphere
An Unrestored Woman by Shobha Rao
4.0
In the past I have stated my views on short stories but while I find that format a bit of a struggle, I adore interconnected short stories. I also am keen on Indian literature so there was no way I would dislike An Unrestored Woman.
The basis of most of the stories is the creation of Pakistan, where Muslims and Hindus separated. Otherwise known as partition. Sometimes there are some time jumps but the majority of the stories take place in 1947.
It’s an eclectic mix: a sex worker seeks revenge on the Madame who runs the place, a cartographer thinks up a ruse in order to seduce the girl of his dreams, a servant pays pack his upper class masters in a dramatic way. One thing I liked was that side characters would receive their own story, usually one which would explain a personality trait.
As for themes, gender and sexuality play a huge role, so does immigration, colonialism, religion, tradition and social class. Think of the book as a patchwork quilt. There’s a wide variety, but they are all linked.
An Unrestored Woman is an excellent selection of stories, the majority are dour but they are cleverly structured and the endings have a good punchline. Plus it’s topical as well. It also looks like I’ve got a new favourite author as I’m going to try find Shobha Rao’s debut novel, Girls Burn Brighter.
The basis of most of the stories is the creation of Pakistan, where Muslims and Hindus separated. Otherwise known as partition. Sometimes there are some time jumps but the majority of the stories take place in 1947.
It’s an eclectic mix: a sex worker seeks revenge on the Madame who runs the place, a cartographer thinks up a ruse in order to seduce the girl of his dreams, a servant pays pack his upper class masters in a dramatic way. One thing I liked was that side characters would receive their own story, usually one which would explain a personality trait.
As for themes, gender and sexuality play a huge role, so does immigration, colonialism, religion, tradition and social class. Think of the book as a patchwork quilt. There’s a wide variety, but they are all linked.
An Unrestored Woman is an excellent selection of stories, the majority are dour but they are cleverly structured and the endings have a good punchline. Plus it’s topical as well. It also looks like I’ve got a new favourite author as I’m going to try find Shobha Rao’s debut novel, Girls Burn Brighter.