Fiction
Read it
I resisted this novel quite a few times (for no obvious reason that I can identify) when going to the bookshop, but then finally gave in. Piyush Jha takes you on a short, succinct tour of Mumbai and life for some average women. Really, they could be almost any woman.
The first novella is about a woman who gets taken in by a scam artist in order to try to save her husband's life. Jha does a fantastic job of unravelling the plot knot and the twist at the end was superb. I won't say much besides this so as not to spoil it, but I enjoyed this story immensely. The ending too, is extremely satisfying.
The second novella is a short vignette about a woman who works in a rich family's house as a housemaid. Gritty, realistic, and the unfortunate reality for many people, this story is short but powerful. Again, I won't say much more, but well worth the time.
The final story is about a transvestite police woman. Hijras are a part of society, but almost never accepted, included, or talked about. Jha turned this on it's ear. His character in this story is tough, inventive, and empathetic. Another flavor of suspense story, I very much liked this as well.
Overall, I don't think I've ready anything else besides Pyush Jha, if anything else is out there, but I would love to do so in the future.
Read it!
~Becky~
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