Genre: Political Fiction
Rating- 3.8/5
“This is how my life is going forward- some insult in my face, some sweet in my mouth.”- Lovely
Jivan, PT Sir and Lovely. The characters divided by religious backgrounds, gender and life purpose.
Jivan is a Muslim girl from slums who is a responsible daughter. One Facebook comment taking a jab on the government regarding terrorist attack and she landed in jail.
Lovely a transgender driven by the fire in her belly to become an A Lister actress fights the general notion of belonging to a ‘different’ gender. She learns English from Jivan.
PT sir is a simple family man with an income to list himself in a lower middle class family. He is driven by his spirit to do something for the country lands himself with a political party. He is the sports sir in the same school where Jivan studied.
That’s how their life intersected.
In this cautionary tale Majumdar took a risk by writing from the vantage points of three main characters. This novel will make you think twice before you post anything on the social media. It will hit you hard with the fact that in this contemporary India people with particular religion pay huge cost.
And above all, the very base on which this novel stands-POLITICS, can be brutal.
Apart from the main characters, other characters were like fireflies blinking in the dark night, important to give different perspectives.
Aruni Maa, Jivan’s parents, Americandi, Mr. Denath these are the characters that played pivotal role if moulding the main ccharacters.
Megha Majumdar did a great job in her debutante novel by writing about the reality of different aspects of the society. Her writing is raw and is for the mass. She used lucid language which can easily connect the reader with the characters’ life.
I would give this a 3.8 stars as a debut novel of the writer. Looking forward to read more from her.
By: Annice Dominic
Girl With The Books 