Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Book Review- Sita's Curse

About the Book-

Different in approach this book talks about a woman secret desires and emotions.
This is what the book says upfront.
Somewhere, behind closed doors, in her solitary world; somewhere, under the sheets with an indifferent lover; Somewhere, is a woman who will not be denied. Trapped for fifteen years in the stranglehold of a dead marriage and soulless household domesticity, the beautiful, full-bodied and passionate Meera Patel depends on her memories and her flights of fancy to soothe the aches that wrack her body; to quieten an unquenchable need. Until one cataclysmic day in Mumbai, when she finally breaks free.

Trapped for fifteen years in the stranglehold of a dead marriage and soulless household domesticity, the beautiful, full-bodied and passionate Meera Patel depends on her memories and her flights of fancy to soothe the aches that wrack her body; to quieten an unquenchable need. Until one cataclysmic day in Mumbai, when she finally breaks free... 

Bold, brazen and defiant, Sita's Curse looks at the hypocrisy of Indian society and tells the compelling story of a middle-class Indian housewife's urgent need for love, respect, acceptance - and sexual fulfilment.

My Take-

 The Author has given us a really provocative story of a simple yet beautiful middle class woman with her hidden desires and fancies. The book completely justifies the genre. The scenes described are prodigious and gives you a real life image. The book is definitely a breakthrough to the stereotyped novels in country like India. Hats off to the writing style of the author as it is really dangerous to write on such genre and in this regard Sreemoyee Piu Kundu has done a great job as none of the extracts described look offensive and obscene.

The book takes you through each and every emotion of a woman who is in urgent need of love, attention and care. It explains jealousy, sentiment of motherhood, feeling of attention and attraction, the desire to be taken away, the desire to get noticed, some superstitious belief of hypocrite Indian society, the fun and pain of living in a middle class family with hidden desires of love and lust, repentance and the emotions when you finally break free from all the bondages of a forced relationship.

But somewhere I was not able to fully convince myself with the title of the book. Sita and the protagonist of the story are nowhere related except for some instances in few chapters where the lady hero of the book ponders upon the occurrences from Ramayana. Also, the relationship that painstakingly beautiful village girl Meera shared with the so many men in her life was a bit unconvincing for instance her bond with her very own brother or her dance teacher at teenage. I felt some relationships were over exaggerated.
On the other hand I liked the philosophical touch given to moh and maya (love and greed), to life and death.

Read this book if you are liberal and daring enough to bear this unique and offbeat story. If you are someone who is a staunch supporter of Indian society its rules set for women then give it a thought as this book will definitely change your view about the desires of women.

About the Author-

Sreemoyee Piu Kundu is an ex Lifestyle Editor and former PR head, and now a full time novelist based in Delhi. Her next two releases are You've Got The Wrong Girl (Hachette) and Cut!. Sreemoyee is planning her fourth novel, a political tragedy, Rahula.



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