K. R. Meera

A tour de force that spans centuries of India's history, from misogynistic precolonial myths to the neoliberal postcolonial nightmare that is slowly unfolding in the nation and perverting ideals that, as Meera demonstrates, might not have been all that great to begin with. Her journalistic background is evidence in lush, descriptive prose that practically paints a picture in the readers' mind. And her protagonist is delightfully human, struggling to give practice to her autonomy and anger in a world where systemic biases and regressive ideas about the places of women and the poor contribute to an ineffective, corrupt media-political machine. American readers will find that the themes of social inequality and injustice explored in the novel can be applied to our country as well, and that the perception of the so-called "third world" as dismally underdeveloped compared to our own is a glaring misconception. We are all being pulled tighter and tighter into a web of selfish interests that will throw us under the bus to preserve their bottom line, and this novel is a testament to the power of rage and the need for liberation from this strictures.… (mehr)