This is a rich and deeply intricate story about a paranormal Mirror world inhabited by a ghost who replaced the reflection of a real-world girl. The mThis is a rich and deeply intricate story about a paranormal Mirror world inhabited by a ghost who replaced the reflection of a real-world girl. The main character then has to embark on some detective work, facing perils, in order to save both herself and the ghost.
I loved the author's talent for world-building and for creating something truly immersive. The Mirror dimension has fascinated humankind since always, if we only look at the most popular fairytales and myths we created around it. There's something deeply unsettling about it, and the short story explores that tension beautifully. ...more
This was a better read than I expected, and managed to surprise me in some ways.
The plot itself is witty: a community center English class for illiterThis was a better read than I expected, and managed to surprise me in some ways.
The plot itself is witty: a community center English class for illiterate Punjabi widows takes an unexpected turn and develops into a workshop for erotic fiction. The regular meetings and the women's dwindling inhibitions become a source of empowerment and emancipation. The more conservative parts of the community are growing increasingly hostile, and there are more sinister things lurking in it besides outraged frowns. Honor killings, domestic abuse, and harassment to name just a few.
What was not my cup of tea: - I had a bit of an issue with the erotic stories themselves - somehow this was the most unrealistic part. It's just not believable for me, considering how extreme some of them were. I somehow can't wrap my mind around how women with very little exposure to anything improper (and mostly illiterate) can come up with things that fit into a very non-mainstream niche of imagery and stuff. I doubt they would have the language or imagination for practices or customs so far removed from the world of regular women, let alone those from such a conservative background. - The drama of some characters, which seems way over the top and is then very neatly solved and put into tame and shiny boxes. Everything in its place. - The book indeed reads sort of like a romance novel, I guess because everything is just bursting with growing optimism, and not even a cautious one. It's nice to feel it every now and then but for me, it takes a bit from a book's sense of reality, or from how close to home it hits.
What I really liked: - The sense of growing female companionship and solidarity - it's a huge wake-up moment for many women of my generation who were just not used to authentic female friendship (being used to be pinned against each other) and it's lovely to see more examples of it. - The sense of standing up to the man (the man, in this case, being the oppressive conservative elements of society which are ready to employ violence for the sake of some distorted notion of honor). - The liberal atmosphere of the classroom, in a devil-may-care, no-answer-is-wrong way. - The intricacies of the Indian culture in the UK and within the community described. - The happy ends to be had all around. Yes, I also mentioned the over the top optimism as not my cup of tea, above, but I'm also adding it here, to the things I really liked. I can't make up my mind about it so I'm having it both ways. :)...more
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