Stories of Women by Women

Here are three books, all centered around women. While many voices mingle together in Eating Wasps, one firm voice testifies her story in The Queen of Jasmine Country. Vox is a cry for injustice towards women where women are barred from speaking more than a set number of words each day. Be it the fictional stories in Anita Nair’s newest novel or the story of one of the most renowned Tamil poets in Sharanya Manivannan’s first novel or the terrifying, dystopian world in Christina Dalcher’s book; we are in for  treat.

Eating Wasps by Anita Nair

many stories. gut wrenching.

Eating Wasps reads like a collection of interconnected stories. The story begins with the death of Sreelakshmi, an esteemed writer who has won many awards and is hailed as Kerala’s Virginia Woolf. Through Sreelakshmi’s ghost, we visit the lives of other women  – the wife who begins an extramarital affair, the acid attack victim who tries to not let the society define her, the child who is sexually assaulted, the badminton player and the sisters who are in a complicated relationship.

The book stood out to me because of the unique narration of the stories of women. Sreelakshmi’s ghost is as much a seeker of stories as the brilliant writer she was when she was alive. As we flit from one to the other, we cry, laugh and ponder about these women and the fate that befall them.

Anita Nair has written many novels, all of which have been well received. I found Eating Wasps to be a melting pot of the author’s earlier works and her newer ones. I was reminded of Mistress, Ladies Coupe, Alphabet Soup for Lovers to name a few, at different sections of the novel. Anita’s women exercise their choice, face the consequences and stand up to the patriarchy. At the end of the book, the reader feels a twang of sadness for being unable to be peer into their lives any longer.
Publisher : Context
Publication: 2018
Language : English
Pages : 255
Rating : 4/5

The Queen of Jasmine Country by Sharanya Manivannan

sensual . devotion. love

The Queen of Jasmine Country is a tribute to Andal, the only female Alvar among the 12 Alvar saints of South India. Andal is famous for renditions such as Thiruppavai and Nachiar Tirumozhi which are recited by devotees during the festival season of Margazhi. The traditional story of Andal views her as a divine incarnation but the novel is the life of Kodhai, found in a tulsi grove as a baby and adopted; the young teenager who later on in life becomes Andal. As talks of marriage drift in the countryside talk, she decides her love is reserved for the lord and not for a mortal man.

The novel is filled in descriptions that give a wonderful sense of place and time, be it the bullocks, groves, market place or the flora and fauna that add to the beauty of the village. The prose is sensual and lyrical and the book is short, yet the perfect size, to get to know and love Kodhai.

Read : The High Priestess Never Marries is a short story collection about love and consequence
Like the women in the short story collection, The High Priestess never marries, Sharanya Manivannan ensures that her heroine has the gift of choice and is not ashamed to demand what she wishes. “There are no homes with rooms large enough for the wingspan of a woman like me” proclaims Kodhai. And she is determined to make her wish and love come true.

Publisher : Harper Collins
Publication: 2018
Language : English
Pages : 156
Rating : 4/5

Vox by Christina Dalcher

Vox is a difficult book to talk about because at the end of the novel, I was slightly disappointed. I loved the premise – a dystopian world where women are not allowed to talk more than 100 words a day. It was absolutely scary and it also seemed like a possible reality. My heart stopped at the scene where the little girl says she won a contest at school for speaking the least number of words (three!) that day. The book also explores how this new world develops in the mind of children, teens and men. It was very interesting to read about how young boys who grow on the new system view their class girls, mothers and sisters.
My major tiff with the book was it being too similar to The Handmaid’s tale. Sure, it was marketed as being similar to Margaret Atwood’s classic but the story line seemed a tad too similar when I was expecting a spin off or something different. Women’s jobs being denied, women’s money being transferred to their husband’s accounts, women being made to stay at home to look after domestic affairs ; they all seemed too similar. I was unable to connect with the protagonist and her love affair since it did not ever seem like her marriage was going good, even before the new rules for women came into being. I could not understand what stopped her from walking away instead of having an affair and lamenting about her marriage; something so unlike the character sketch she has been ushered with.

The book was compelling and an entertainer. I finished it in a single night and simply could not put it down. However given a choice, go for The Handmaid’s tale instead.

Publisher : Harper Collins
Publication: 2018
Language : English
Pages : 384
Rating : 3/5
#Vox is a dystopian novel where women aren't allowed to speak more than 100 words a day. Entertaining, utterly terrifying and inspired by The Handmaid's tale Click To Tweet Disclaimer : Much thanks to the publishers, Harper Collins (The Queen of Jasmine country, Vox) and Westland (Eating wasps) for the books. All opinions are my own.