The Gutter Princess - Diary of an (Un)Willing Prostitute

by Mini Gautam

Sofia (Shakya) works as a prostitute in Kolkata, India. This is her story and her life. The world through her lens is murky but real; a man paying for sex can be ruthless. As we walk down her path, we feel the pain she suffers, but we also find that she is not a victim, rather she is a champion of her destiny. She has accepted her life and the treatment it metes out to her; at the same time she evokes a profoundly sensitized maturity to the manner in which the world and society functions. She is the breadwinner of her family and a hero to those who are dependent on her, until everything comes crashing down.

It’s a dark night when Sofia is returning to her home, and a man comes from nowhere and asks her a simple question, “Do you know why Ravan abducted Sita?”
Sofia fumbles, but her life depends on the answer.

137 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

About the author

Mini Gautam is a lawyer by profession who has a flair for writing since early days of her life. She has received numerous accolades for writing during the past years; the Gutter Princess - Diary of an (Un)Willing Prostitute is her first published novel.
She completed her Degree in Law from ILS Law College, Pune, and Masters in International Financial Law from King’s College, London.
She has worked for many prominent corporate houses of India before starting her own independent consulting specializing in corporate and commercial law.

Reviews

[Ruchi Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

No words. I finished the book in one sitting. Just in 3 hours. Story is quite interesting. It holds your interest from beginning to end. You can't put it aside for a minute. Indeed a great work. It can be really a motivational story for people. Keep it up with your writing work. Waiting for your next work !!

[Satabdi Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not even sure how to begin the review. Do you even have one of those books that is just so addicting that you can't stop reading.? This one was one of those for me. From the beginning till the end you will be blown away. With the twists and turns and with all the surprises you will be left guessing till the end.
It's about a prostitue, her circumstances which made her choose this profession, its about her choice, her struggle and still how she becomes a huge success as a daughter and as a sister. Then one night something horrible happens to her and her entire life changes. Then there are twists in evry page you turn. This story is how time after time destiny gives kicks and blows that knocks her down and still she struggles every time to get back. I simply can't wait to read more from this author.....

[ANTONY · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bitter but dark story of the Gutter Princess, a sex worker induces us to be curious and funny at sometimes; sometimes it makes us excogitative ; sometimes it coaxes us to weep in silence. Her distressed ordeals melt our heart . Her reemerge as a winner invigorates us to a sigh of relief.

The most brilliant plot of Mini and her dedicated execution of the Wonderful​ concept in the fluent language ensure this book to be a great masterpiece.Kudos to Mini Gautam.

Also the book carries the powerful message for women empowerment, I.e "All girls should get education ."

[Anshuman Chanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arguably one of the most poignant and gutsy books I have read in the recent times. It presents the readers with a true hard hitting narrative on the abominal social structure in our country, the hypocracy transcending all classes, and the social backwardness that prevails among us in spite of all the economic progress. This book is a small but a definite step towards raising awareness and may be even some enlightenment.

[Veena Gautam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Gutter Princess is a poignant story of a young girl in the sex trade; burdened with family pressure and abused by the men who pay for her services. But what stands out in this book is her courage, her undaunted spirit and her sensitivity in an otherwise apathetic society. What a beautiful and touching story.

[Gyan Gautama · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read, it takes courage to write a book like this.

[Ujjwal Bose · Rating 4 out of 5]

While reading the book I became a fan of Mini more for her story telling skills. Indeed she is gifted with the skill of narration and excellent diction. To be candid, certain portions of the book, particularly when the protagonist and namesake Princess is facing necessary evil every ‘day in’ and ‘day out’ in course of her profession as a sex worker are brutal, if not gruesome. However I must indicate three aspects of her writing which had appealed me the most. First, she has been loud enough to unearth the actual state of mind of the people, they who go to a sex worker vis-à-vis the mindset of a sex worker while entertaining her clients. It is found to be high degree of insecurity on both parts. Secondly, while the Princess is passing through the darkest moments, her strive to come back to normalcy had been pictured very vivid by her self-introspection, which had narrated various socio economic aspect of our contemporary society through the eyes of the Princess. Thus, though the book being a work of fiction also merits to be treated as a mirror of the contemporary social system. Finally, Princess the woman protagonist has also twists and turns in her life, as cautiously used by Mini across the book. Special mentioning of Durga Puja at Kolkata (which appears to bring some colour to the deep dark life of the Princess) and reference to a myth of collection of soil from the brothel to be first applied on the straw structure of Goddess Durga appear to be quite interesting. However, appearance of Mr. Aghastya Upadhyaya and the help extended by him compels me to think that same has been introduced as a much obvious respite to balance and bring a sense of hope in an otherwise dark story line based on a grim subject matter. While it is said careful inconclusiveness effectively contributes a quest in the mind of the reader to read more and explore more on that particular subject, according to me Mini had made much justice to that. It seems to be a bold beginning of a young writer and much to offer by her in the future. All the best to Mini.