Mrs C Remembers

by Himanjali Sankar

Mrs Anita Chatterjee, wife to one of Kolkata's most successful men, has lived a bustling life managing her husband’s large household and mingling regularly with the rich and powerful. Now, after forty years of a life of unquestioned compliance, the only thing she can do is try to forget.
Her daughter, Sohini, is an artist living in Delhi with an unconventional partner. As Mrs C begins to engage with their ideas, she finds she can no longer ignore the tumultuous world outside. Soon she is diagnosed with a formidable medical condition, one that will allow her to let down her guard and come into her own.
Unflinching and darkly funny, Mrs C Remembers is a piercing exploration of the limits of submission, of illness and upheaval and the unfathomable powers of the human mind.

Genres: Indian Literature, Fiction, Mental Health, India

200 pages, Paperback

Published June 15, 2017

About the author

Himanjali’s children’s and YA books include THE STUPENDOUS TIMETELLING SUPERDOG and TALKING OF MUSKAAN, which were shortlisted for the Crossword Book Award. MRS C REMEMBERS, her first novel for adults, won her the FICCI Publishing Award for Upcoming Author of the Year in 2018. Her YA novel, THE LIES WE TELL, was shortlisted for The Neev Book Award in 2020. She is secretly proud that her latest novel for adults, THE BURNINGS, has made family and friends worry about what lives inside her head.

Reviews

[Mridula Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine a household with a meticulous and graceful wife who entertains her guests perfectly and takes care of her family while her husband downs himself in work simultaneously talking about politics and class and giving a hard time to each one if there's a minute slip in the way the things are supposed to go.

Anita Chatterjee is that wife, hopelessly in love with her workaholic husband. She is strong and opinionated and has raised her kids into adults who are rebellious, stubborn and very much attached to her. She goes to parties, entertains her husband's clients and maintains a cordial social relationship with her circle which mainly constitutes of the elites and high profile people of Kolkata. But when Dementia hits, she struggles to regain control, stubbornly refusing to believe in her condition and accusing everyone of a baseless conspiracy.
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Sohini- the teenager who got mixed up with bad company, the daughter who would rather stay away from home, the wife who had to deal with her husband's sexual relationship with her mother and finally, the divorced daughter who marries a Muslim guy. Sohini fills in the gaps of Anita's story, giving us a backstory to Anita's present situation. Sohini adores her mother and is tormented by her mother's state of helplessness.

Throughout the story, Sarkar talks about a very essential concept - Patriarchy and the superiority of the male gender. Anita's husband is detached, unsupportive and indifferent to her struggles, praising her occasionally but ignoring or scorning her more often. The burden of all the worldly things falls into the shoulders of the women who never get their due.

'Mrs. C Remembers' also comes with a major problem. The story loses a purpose towards the end, a collection of thoughts that don't amount to anything. Halfway through, the narration felt clumsy, dementia took a back seat and the empty spaces were filled with random thoughts.

But this is also an essential read as it gives us a glimpse of the society with all live in, whether we acknowledge it or not.

[Ahtims · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a quick and easy read , about the life of an educated housewife who suppresses her desires and ambitions for the sake of her family.
I could see glimpses of my mother in Mrs C, though my mother is of course much more gentle and docile, and has never hurt a fly.
The last quarter was a bit upsetting.

[Pari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cover buy for me! A complete random pick that I enjoyed reading.

What I liked about the book:
1) Portrayal of the Bengali Household
2) Similarity & Differences among the women across 3 generations
3) Mrs C!

Yes! Mrs C was really an interesting woman. A conformist by nature, no mental health condition could stop her from going about her daily chores as she had done for decades. She placed her "responsibilities" and "duties" above everything.

What I would have liked more from this book: A better understanding of the character of Mrs C from a clearer backstory.

Overall, the author has taken up an important issue and set - up, but I would have liked a better justification to the plot line.

[Tanuj Solanki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story has a fifteen-year span. It covers the early hints, the subsequent signs, the onset, and finally the play of dementia in a Bengali woman. The two narrators, Anita (Mrs. C of the title) and her daughter, Sohini, talk to us in alternate chapters. That we have fifteen years to cover, and that the book is only 192-pages long, means that things must happen quickly; except that the novel is never able to make you feel that anything significant is happening at any time. Almost every event - save, perhaps, the final one - is wrapped in interpretation almost instantaneously. This forces the characters other than the narrators to fall into irrelevance - each of their appearances is available from pre-defined lenses, with no leg room for us to develop our own understanding of them.

Sankar's novel had the potential to be a bigger, inter-generational family saga, something like Jonathan Franzen's 'The Corrections'. Sohini's paintings would have to be described more then. Anita's marriage with her husband would have been given to us in greater detail. Anita's son would perhaps get more air time. But it is not what we have, which makes one think of Mrs C Remembers as a highlight reel for a larger, more complex work.

[Dibyajyoti Sarma · Rating 4 out of 5]

You pick up the book and read the blurb and you are not sure. Are you being subjected to another sprawling tale of a Bengali family? The domineering mother-in-law has passed away and now, the elderly Bahu, Mrs C of the title, can be her own person. You expect the novel to delve into a series of flashbacks.

But Sankar, in her first novel for adults, leaps ahead by introducing Mrs C’s divorced daughter Sohini and her live-in partner, Omar. The result is not just subversion of expectations, but something rarer, a politically aware novel of ideas.

The rather short book (considering the big ideas it crams inside it) is set in four time periods — 2002, 2005, 2012 and 2015-16 (years preceding major political events in the country), shuttles between Kolkata and Delhi and is narrated by Mrs C and her daughter.

Yes, there’s a rich Bengali family and some inconvenient truths, but Sankar is more interested in observing how larger political issues affect personal equations. The author shies away from giving a clear answer, but finds occasions for her characters to engage in healthy debates, sometimes even at the expense of the narrative flow.

In the end, however, what stays with you is not the political debate, but the compellingly opaque character of Mrs Anita Chatterjee. As she begins to narrate her story, she begins to lose her memory, an affliction, which is poignant in itself and allows the novelist to construct a fascinatingly unreliable character — a representation of who Mrs C thinks she is.

Everything else in the novel is devoted to highlight the aspects of Mrs C, the ideal daughter, daughter-in-law, wife and mother. But as you look close, everything appears hazy. While Mrs C herself appears to be an unreliable narrator (did she really decide to kill her mother-in-law by conveniently forgetting to give her the medicines?), Sohini, with very different outlook to life, doesn’t seem to understand her mother at all. In terms of narrative trope, this is delicious stuff, and Sankar’s fast-paced writing keeps you hooked until the end, which, offers a wickedly, charming twist.

Talking about ideas, the novel deals with several weighty issues — personal vs relationships, relationships vs ideology. The execution of them is not always perfect; you are left expecting more, but Mrs C Remembers is a rare gem of a novel which devotes the entire length of it in developing a character that is fascinatingly easy to explain, yet frustratingly opaque.

[Sudeepta Pradhan (booksteaandmore) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review https://booksteaandmorecom.wordpress....

The book follows the story of Mrs. Anita Chatterjee and her daughter Sohini. Mrs. Anita Chatterjee is married in an influential family in Calcutta. From the start, she has been a dutiful daughter in law, wife, and mother. She has readily accepted the norms and rules that the society has set for her and has given up on her dreams and ambitions. Yet Mrs. C allows her daughter to have rebellious ideas and go against societal norms. Though she never supports her directly Mrs. C protects Sohini never raising her voice even when their views are poles apart. The story is a tale of an aging mother and an adult daughter who are poles apart yet have a fierce sense of love for each other. As Mrs. C ages a bout of forgetfulness enshrouds her and her mind takes the way of its own. In this unraveling of her mind, we see a hidden facet of Mrs. C personality.

This book is a poignant tale of a woman who has been stripped of her rights to dream and aim for more but who get accustomed to this and accepts it as the way of life. Yet she is modern in her outlook and wants her daughter to follow her dreams and yet is fiercely protective of her. This story will make you laugh, smile and cry and will touch your heart. The difficulty of seeing one’s parents age and the fears that come with it is so well depicted that I found myself often thinking of my parents. This is where I think the power of the author and the book lies. It makes you think on a slew of topics that are today so important like feminism, nationalism, gender issues, mental illness, and old age.

[Aritri Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mrs. C Remembers was such a fantastic read. I stayed up last night to finish it and I remember feeling so many things at a go. Narrated by Mrs. Chatterjee and her daughter, Sohini, this book discusses many sensitive issues in a very relatable manner like you and your family would have dinner table conversations. What I loved about the book was how real the characters and the entire setting was, the relationship between the mother-daughter duo and how one feels when their closest ones slowly degrade away due to mental illness.

Himanjali Sarkar's writing style is simple yet packs a punch, with its dry humour every now and then. It lays bare the patriarchal society that we are a part of and shows how misogyny is propagated by conditional upbringing.


Some other books on women with a mental illness that I have enjoyed reading:
-Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
-The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
-Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
-Normal People by Sally Rooney
-Em and The Big Hoom by Jerry Pinto

[Angelinamehta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read, very relateable both because of the gender in this culture discussion and also because I have aging parents that are becoming different people.

[Shalini (readingwithmuffy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review at https://kohleyedme.com/2020/05/26/mrs...

[Sonaksha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up on a whim from my shelves after being intrigued by the title and cover for months. I jumped into it without much research or remembrance of what the blurb said. I can't remember the last time I flipped pages so fast without even realising how time was whooshing by. The story begins with Mrs. Chatterjee giving you a quick glimpse into her daily life - one that instantly seems familiar if you've heard stories from your aunts or neighbours. It almost feels like Mrs. Chatterjee is explaining the family politics to you, all while saying enough but not too much. Next, you're introduced to Sohini, who you realise is her daughter and get a peek into her mind, which presents itself as a stark contrast to her mother's. Himanjali Sankar effortlessly weaves in important questions while unraveling Mrs. Chatterjee and Sohini's stories. Sohini, Mrs. Chatterjee, Sanchita and Omar often initiate around conversations about politics, or bring up things they've heard in the news, but the moments are fleeting, as it all winds down to concern about their own lives - the politics of an upper middle class Indian family. If you've watched a show like Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, you're probably familiar with the line of commentary it seeks to highlight, but Sankar does it in a more nuanced way.

As you read more, the novel unravels, much like the lives of Sohini and Mrs. Chatterjee and somewhere along the way you're unsure what is true, whose story to believe as you're caught between two possibly unreliable narrators, with each one, telling the story they want you to hear. While the book begins with neatly stacked opinions, relationships and views, it unravels into a messy dysfunctional state, central to most families. Everything is not as simple as it seems, people change, opinions merge into one another and roles are often reversed.

It's almost unbelievable how Mrs C Remembers manages to tackle a plethora of subjects in a short span of time - from the workings of an upper middle class Indian family to commentary about deep rooted patriarchy, to inter religious marriages. Amidst all this, what crept into the warm crevices of my heart is the way Himanjali Sankar captured the tender relationship between a mother and her daughter. It was truly magical to see the gradation of the relationship captured so poignantly. In a span of few years the role of worrying and caregiving seems to switch between mothers and daughters and that was elucidated beautifully. Of course, another aspect that stayed with me was the way Himanjali Sankar writes about ageing, mental health and the way it affects our lives. To see a loved one descend into dementia is truly painful, and though the author brings in humour while addressing it, there's a strange melancholy associated with it too, one that I was instantly able to relate to, given that my grandparents are grappling with dementia at the moment.

I could go on and on, but there's so much this book makes you think about and experience in such a short time. I know I'm going to be mulling it over for weeks to come, and I hope it nothing else, this urges you to give it a go.

[Krutika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs C Remembers. #bookbugreviews
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"Empathy is not very easy to come by. For a lot of people, it only hurts when it gets personal. It must be nice for them – insensitive people are definitely more self-satisfied than others. Unfortunate for the rest of the world." - Himanjali Sankar.
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Mrs C Remembers is a book that'll make you feel at home instantly. It is about an influential Indian family that lives in Calcutta which looks polished on the outside but if you look closely, you can find tiny cracks seeping out. Mrs C is the head of the family who lives to serve her husband and the children. Being married to a powerful industrialist, she has to keep up appearances at social gatherings and other events. Her life goes on in taking care of her husband and worshipping the ground that he walks on. Until she falls sick and starts suspecting everyone around her.
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The book is split between Mrs C and her daughter Sohini and is narrated with ease. Mrs C talks about her marriage and her hatred towards her mother-in-law at the beginning. She then proceeds to talk about having children and the importance that men have when compared to women. She's submissive by nature and compares her relationship with that of her sister. Sohini on the other hand talks about how her mother handles the house without leaning towards anyone for support. Sohini talks about her relationship with a Muslim man post her divorce and how her parents welcome him with open arms. She can't stop comparing the stark contrast between her mother and the sister. How her mother is naive and careful while her sister is vocal about her opinions.
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There's a beautiful picture that the book draws about mother daughter relationship that I completely enjoyed. The description of Dementia and how it affects Mrs C is painfully narrated. The fact that it changes a person and his very identity, is shocking to read. This book is humourous and witty and even as you read along, you can't help but wonder how brave Mrs C truly was. A must read.
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Rating - 4/5. #mrscremembers

[SANCHITA MOI · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being born and brought up in a Bengali family, I can easily connect myself with the Bengali setting of the novel “Mrs.C Remembers”. Characterisation is so lively that I can connect with each and every character of the novel. The language is so simple to read that it seems to me that I am moving in the lanes of my own family.
But as I move on, I can understand the layered up family politics; “but a chain of inane paradoxes and insecurities which binds us all.”
The chapter ‘Sohini’ beautifully depicts three generations; grandmother, mother and daughter. The author prefers to portray the generation gap by making Sohini’s character so liberal and lively. She is completely different from her mother; where her mother easily accepts the duties and responsibilities imposed by the patriarchal society, she is bold enough to come out of her loveless marriage, focuses on her career and chooses to live a life of her own.
Sohini’s mother, Mrs. Chatterjee is a woman who believes and follows the traditional role of a wife in a marriage. She not only supports her husband blindly but also takes pride in her ‘prized possession’; “your dad hasn’t ever told me about his work troubles” she said proudly. She is judgmental about class also. But she is a woman with strong will power, “I don’t want to live a life without all my faculties.” She is totally dedicated to her household responsibilities and duties.
But her sister and Sohini’s ‘mashi’ is opposite. She knows her aim in life and was an active participant of Naxal Movement. She even does not forgive her own father as he forces her to move to England.
Last paragraph of the chapter shows the beautiful relationship of mother and daughter. How much we the daughters disagree with our mothers ; we never want to see our mothers without her own faculties. Being a daughter, it is very hard to imagine ‘maa’ old and shrivelled without her faculties.

[Shivani · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have just known her for ideal ways, but there is more to come! Mrs C remembers touches on the life of every Indian household where being a lady implies that you have to be a multitasker, an ideal wife, an obedient daughter-in-law and a nurturing mother. Anita is the protagonist who gets married into one of the most successful families in Calcutta. Being submissive and abiding by rules comes naturally to her. The only mantra of her life is to make others happy and extract positivity from every situation. Until one day she falls into this rabbit hole with a medical condition. A new world, full of delusions-where everyone she has ever bonded with-has turned into a rival weaving conspiracy. The only way to survive here is by keeping your sanity and prioritizing yourself over others.
Sohini, her middle age daughter, has recently got divorced. Unlike Mrs C, she is an iconoclast who raises questions to everything that defies logic.
The novel also nudges the deep roots of patriarchy that is still embedded in the modern world.
A light read, with its own stimulating and refreshing ways to appease your mood.

[Deepak · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written tale about a woman whose memory deteriorates due to dementia and how she and others around her react to it.
While narrating this tale Himanjal Sankar has craftily woven in the role of the Indian woman as a wife, daughter, mother, grandmother and mother-in-law in the educated yet patriarchal and communal/casteist Indian social society.
The narration is in first person alternating between the mother and daughter and how they react to different situations differently.
Am sure every Indian, man or woman, will relate to at least one if not some of the situations in the book. Do read to find out.
It is hypocrisy of the Indian 'educated elite' exposed.
Most importantly, it gives an insight into the world of people suffering from dementia and it is very important as it is becoming increasingly prevalent and identifiable in modern times.

Definitely worth a read.

[Aruna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mrs C Remembers is a novel rather like Mrs C herself - understated, unassuming, elegant, deceptively simple, wonderfully layered and surprisingly clever. It is ostensibly a tale about a mother and daughter dealing with the mother's failing mind. But it is so much more - it is a study on Indian society, patriarchy, conservativeness, the various ways and levels to which women are expected to conform. It is a story about complex family relationships, ties and undercurrents, and a tale about ageing and the failing body. Himanjali Sankar is a sharp storyteller, and displays much insight and perceptiveness about family dynamics and character motivations. The result is a masterfully crafted novel with finely etched characters and an ending that will surprise you and make you wonder just how much Mrs C remembers.

[Kidliomag · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book describes very beautifully and written very well.story based on A lady Mrs Chatterjee who devoted her whole life towards her family,inlaws,taking care of house and her kids.she loves her daughter sohini very much she is outspoken girl and in Livein relationship with Ali who is from cultured family in lucknow ,as the time passes Mrs C is become patient of Dementia and start losing her memory.i like the twisted end which keeps you stucked with book

[Rohit Pamnani · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a masterpiece! When I received its signed copy in post, little did I know that this one is going to be deeply relatable & so gently written!

Mrs. C Remembers has a duality in writing, one - from the perspective of Mrs. Chatterjee herself, & two - her daughter Sohini. Accordingly, the writing style uniquely takes a 180° shift - semi-conservative vs semi-liberal, traditional vs modern, & even the wordings differ in every chapter. This book doesn't walk you extensively through hospitals & doctors, rather it gradually shows you the hits and misses of mental health issues in an Indian (Bengali) family context & in the society. The author doesn't define her characters by it, but rather attempts to normalize it & to remove its stigma. She eases the readers into it with the progression of chapters, & shows - to seek help is okay.

I totally loved that the author is vocal about her progressive beliefs & doesn't shy away from expressing them. From patriarchy to religious bigotry, & a few male spouses' regressive & dominating treatment of their wives, she subtly denounces it all via the characters. How the elders often treat the management of mental illness so laxly, & how the young often deal with it quite meticulously; how certain people choose to share their thoughts selectively with mental health professionals to 'protect their families', Mrs. Himanjali has got it all so right! In some chapters, I did get to see how thoughts logically form via the functioning of the human brain in its current state, & I'm sure the author must have researched it so well.

I'm impressed, & I'm going to rate it 4.3/5 ! 🍀

[Richa Sharma Dhamorikar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very random pick. I saw it on Goodreads profile of a reader, read the blurb and was immediately drawn to it. I have no idea why. The story is narrated by a woman, Mrs. C and her daughter. They are in stark contrast with each other but cannot live/exist without one another. The book has been divided in 4 periods marked by political distrubances in the country and around the world. I like how the author has roped these events and displayed the effect such events have on a regular life of regular citizens. Smart crisp writing, emotional pages, this book tackles inter religion marriages, notions about extremism and narrates the story of a woman stuck in the patriarchal society who accepts it unquestioningly.

[Arun Krishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging read

The thoughts of the protagonists beautifully articulated.

Very enjoyable read and some thought provoking ideas to mull over. Try it.

[sandhya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very brutally honest portrayal of the slide of a loved one into Alzheimer's. A complete page turner.

[Anushree Rastogi · Rating 5 out of 5]

terse and simple. I could relate to it easily. well written. good flight reading material.

[rim · Rating 2 out of 5]

A beautiful plot but an unfortunate execution and a highly dissatisfactory writing style :/

[Divyanshi Dash · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCUSE ME! What an incredible read this was.

[Shumaila Taher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes it so happens that you find yourself in conversation with a book. You nod, and sigh, and often shake your head as if in understanding of what's being said. Mrs. C Remembers is one such book for me. There's so much said and unsaid, so many truths so many revelations packed in 192 pages, that I'm quite overwhelmed.

The novel traces the lives of Mrs. Anita Chatterjee and her daughter Sohini, as they grapple with the formers' deteriorating mental health. Mrs. C (Anita) of the book has lived her life in complete conformity to her husband's needs and desires. Married into an affluent Bengali family, her life revolves around her husband's many social interactions, and parties. Mrs. C has led her life in total submission. But underneath this timid, almost sheep like persona of a woman, is her determination and obligation towards her daughter, Sohini, who is rebellious, strong willed and in stark contrast to her mother. It's no surprise how Himanjali has woven the mother - daughter relationship so beautifully, and painfully as they are seen walking on eggshells, stumbling and trying to hold each other's hand as they make sense of life around them that seems to be changing. .

Written from the POV of Mrs. C and Sohini, we see life from two very different worldviews. As Mrs. C incessantly tries to understand new ways of thinking and living-- adjusting and moulding her way of leading her life, we see Sohini carve her own path, and discover who she really is whilst realizing the seriousness of her mother's illness. .

There's so much that takes place in the novel. The patriarchal society, and the seeds it has sown in women who have internalized misogyny can be seen through Mrs. C and her idea of what life should be like. It's years of conditioning that has rendered her incapable of changing who she is. On the other hand , we have Sohini, defying and dodging every stigma and stereotype and making a name for herself as an artist. She is married to Omar who belongs to an affluent family in Lucknow and has a daughter. Their worlds unite, and create a beautiful symphony.

he book covers a number of political actions and views taking place in the background, that the author has quite cleverly managed to include in the story.
It's heartwrenching to see someone you love wither away, their entire life surrendered to dementia, their memory obsolete. I laughed and cried and felt whole and broken at the same time

[Maanvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

What does it feel like to see a loved one evaporate because of dementia? "Mrs. C Remembers" by Himanjali Sankar tackles this question sensitively & powerfully; using dementia to explore a mother-daughter relationship in all its complexity. Mrs Chatterjee's slow encounter with dementia is narrated by Sohini, her daughter, and Mrs. Chatterjee herself. I liked how the book dignifies Mrs. Chatterjee perspective on what's happening to her. Even if she's incoherent, she has the given the space to deal with the paranoia and confusion she faces. Till the last page -- when it's clear that dementia has changed her forever -- she is NOT the victim. Just Mrs. C doing what she always thought to be the most important thing in her life -- protecting her daughter. Despite being a slim novel, not an easy read. But really would recommend.

[Astha Moudgil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a light read which goes around a mother daughter duo where mother (Mrs C) is conservative as she is conditioned to be, whereas daughter is free spirited. Book is written beautifully that at points one can relate the things going on in plot with people around. How a medical condition can make a person's life tough but can't stop a mother to serve is reflected strongly in it. I totally loved reading it and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a light read.

[Sharanya]

Review to follow