Book Review : Lalita and Other Short Stories: The Unseen Women Of India by Aarti Punjabi.

Book Title: Lalita and Other Short Stories: The Unseen Women Of India 

Author: Aarti Punjabi

The cover image of the book complements the title and the content beautifully. The innocent yet powerful eyes of the woman on the cover seemed to speak to me and played a major role in my decision to pick up this book. I chose this book after reading the blurb and being drawn to the strong cover design, but did it impress me? Let’s find out in this review.

This is a short story collection consisting of ten stories, all centered around women and the issues they face in society. The stories are diverse when it comes to emotions and experiences. Each one portrays a different pain, struggle, issue or survival journey that a different category of women go through in their everyday lives.

What I really liked and appreciated is how the author has titled each chapter with the name of the woman the story revolves around. This helps the reader connect more personally with the characters. I wanted to share the outline of each story but that might spoil the curiosity. Instead, let me provide some of the themes that were explored in the book.

In this book I found stories that speak about patriarchy that is hidden and shoved onto women in a disguised way, the life of a middle-aged married woman, the life of a widow, how a financially lower class woman was abused and how her justice was buried, how partiality was shown etc. If you want to understand these stories in depth and know why and how things happen, you should definitely give this book a try. I can assure you that none of the stories feel similar or repetitive throughout the book and each one leaves a quiet impact on the reader.

What stood out to me the most is that the author does not portray issues as being caused only by men. Instead, the book also highlights how women are often oppressed by fellow women and by society as a whole. This aspect alone was enough for me to give this book a solid 4-star rating.

This is a small book with a little over a hundred pages and very simple narration, which made it easy for me to complete it within a couple of days.

Although I liked the content, ideas, narrative style and the realistic portrayal of issues presented in the book, I didn’t find it to be a completely new or unique read. Some stories felt similar themes while reading them. That said, a few stories in this collection did feel fresh and impactful.

Overall, I liked this book but it may not feel entirely new for long-time readers. However, if you are experiencing a reading slump then this book could be a good choice due to its short length and lucid narration.

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