A Plate of White Marble - Bani Basu

Fiction

Read it

This is the first book that I've ready by Bani Basi. In a change of pace, this was a book I ordered because it was recommended, rather than just picking it up because it had a pretty cover. Progress. 

The story covers the life of Bandana. She is a newly made widow with a young son. The first half of the story or so covers Bandana's life after her husband dies. She is still in her inlaws house and slowly backed into a very restrictive corner of shoulds and should nots. However weak, Bandana is a bit of an odd rebel. So much so that I very much felt like cheering her on. 

The second half of the book is Bandana's life after her uncle takes her out of her inlaws house. He urges her to be independent, get a job, let go of old superstitions, etc. Bandana does try her best and makes small leaps, In the end, she crumbles to pressure from her son and inlaws. It's ridiculousy disapointing, but also ridiculously realistic. You can't hate Bandana for her weakness because she truly tries, but there's a limit to what one can do.

The treatment of widows in a conservative society in India is not a new subject. It's rather horrifying on the whole. The beauty of A Plate of White Marble is that Bani Basu does a brilliant job of highlighting a situation that isn't horrific on the surface, but is still resulting in the slow death of someone the family is proported to love. Her heroine also is relateable. She's not perfect and doesn't magically throw off the chains of tradition and superstition all of a sudden one day - she takes small steps where she can. The authoress also brilliantly highlights how sometimes behaviors are so conditioned that women don't have to be held back - they do it themselves because they have been taught that's right. 

I guess I should mention that this isn't a feminism book, even though I felt the small steps that Bandana takes are important ones - and would be even more so if she continued taking those steps and taught her children the same. What was valuable to her generation isn't even recognized in her son's generation and finding a balance is difficult for her.

The novel does drag in places, and like many Bengali works, has a tendancy to be rather morose. I kept waiting for a few shoes to drop and things to turn really tragic. But the beauty of Bengali writing of this type is that tragedy happens quietly. A few small incidents at a time.

It's worth reading. Take it slow and absorb the ethos.

~Becky~