A Patchwork Family

by Mukta Sathe

'In Mukta Sathe we have a new voice that displays a deep understanding of both the old and the young, of their complex relationships, and of how crime and punishment play out under our flawed judicial system. A Patchwork Family is a novel that I found difficult to put down.' --Shanta Gokhale, author, columnist and translator
Young and idealistic, Janaki is eager to serve the cause of justice as a lawyer. Her only confidant is Ajoba, an elderly friend of her grandfather's, who supported her throughout her childhood. They are unrelated by blood or marriage ties, but they have both lost their own families. So together, they struggle to create a family, patched together perhaps, but stronger for it.
As this gripping novel unfolds, the two characters in turn tell the traumatic story of how they came how Janaki being the eyewitness to a gruesome crime led to years of court cases and police investigations; the toll it took on the members of her immediate family; the ways in which Ajoba and Janaki each overcome their immediate prejudices to connect with each other; and the impact of the judicial system's vagaries on each of their worldviews.
Written in spare, unadorned and confident prose, A Patchwork Family is a debut novel of unusual wisdom and maturity.

Genres: Literary Fiction, India, Indian Literature, Fiction

149 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 10, 2018

Reviews

[Padmaja · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book. If this book wasn't longlisted for The JCB prize for literature 2019, I wouldn't have come to know of this socially relevant book.
The story is told through two persons, Janaki and Ajoba (grandfather in Marathi). Ajoba is Janaki's confidante since childhood and their bond is really beautiful.
~
Janaki is a strong willed child who grows up into a headstrong young woman. She is a lawyer. Janaki witnesses her best friend getting raped brutally and violently, the dilemma over justice starts. Her personal turmoils and her testimony in the court wreaks havoc on her personal life and at her home. This book brilliantly explored the subject of psychological effects happening on a person who seeks justice. Through her best friend's court trial, we are given a first hand experience of how flawed our judicial system is. This book also reminded me a lot of the 2004 Marathi movie, Saat chya aat gharat, watch it if you haven't already.
~
This book grows on you. The story is very sweeping in its scope and covers a lot of subjects like rape, justice, familial ties and the constant dilemma between right and wrong. In less than 200 pages, I am amazed at how much this little book covered.
Narrated in simple prose, this book is impossible to put down once you've started it. It was a really honest social commentary with very realistic perspectives.
Sathe sounds like a very promising author and I will definitely look forward to more of her work.
~
I discussed this book in length with my husband also because I couldn't get it out of my mind for a long time.
Minor qualms aside, I rate this book 3.75⭐

[Chitra Ahanthem · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will settle quietly in your mind and heart with its unassuming brilliance. It is told from the viewpoint of two people andover the course of years – Janaki who grows from a vibrant young girl with a mind of her own who questions social and social norms, who will speak up for injustice and take a stand and Ajoba (Grandfather) who is the closest friend of her own grandfather. Janaki and Ajoba’s lives are intertwined through the bond of their families and the way certain incidents shape their relation.

At the core of this book is the dilemma over justice:what is it and who gets to dispense it? More important, what is the toll on people when they are looking for justice that has taken a precious life in the most violent manner? When Janaki's best friend falls victim to a violent incident and dies in the process, with her as witness, it sets off a series of circumstances and wrangling within Janaki’s family over a period of time. 

The author who is a lawyer herself shines by not making the legal quest for justice a dreary read but made it humane and relatable with the way the focus is on universal themes over crime, punishment,justice and the burden of truth, guilt and helplessness that various people feel when they are witnesses, onlookers and family members. This a book that will be suitable for group readings or book clubs for it will surely prod people to discuss and debate over various themes in the book. Recommended.

[Mridula Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars
"𝕎𝕖 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕦𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕔, 𝕨𝕖 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕝𝕪."
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𝐀 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝐌𝐮𝐤𝐭𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞 is a social commentary, an in-depth analysis of patriarchy and social prejudice, but mostly of how it is ingrained in our psyche. The story has been narrated by Janaki and Ajoba, two people brought together by crisis and a mutual understanding of each other's decisions.
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Janaki, shy and resilient, witnesses the brutal rape and murder of her best friend and chooses to stand up for her and seek justice despite the threats she receives and the family she is set to lose.
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Ajoba, Janaki's grandfather's dear friend and her closest confidante stands with her through a storm that will blow everything she holds dear.
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Janaki is an idealist and questions the patriarchy every chance she gets. Through her, Sathe gives us glimpses of a society that is utterly selfish and unyielding. The author's mockery of the social and judicial system will remind of multiple events, both in the movies and in real life, making it a very agreeable story (unless you choose to live in a bubble).
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She breaks down a complex scenario for us to understand through simple and unbiased prose. The rape situation is presented and handled realistically and so is the double standard that is deeply rooted in our society. Not just the big and grave events, but every small incident in the lives of these characters is scrutinized and told in an impassive tone, without missing the point.
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'A Patchwork Family' is ridicule to everything that is currently wrong with the system and society- men privileged enough to think that it's easy to rape and take a life, families realizing the horridness of a situation only when the crisis is at their doorstep and the distorted concept of actions without consequences. But it is also a tale of companionship, support, and trust that doesn't always come from one's own family and this 'Patchwork Family' of Janavi and Ajoba are facing all odds through sheer will and strength derived from each other.

[Anupama C K(b0rn_2_read) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a story which will make you think and will stay with you long after you have closed the book. I'm grateful to @jcbprize coz, if not for #jcblonglist2019 I never would've come across this book. The narrative is captivating, once I started I couldn't put it down. It is a very short book, I finished it in a day. I loved how Janaki's childhood is described, it felt like that I was part of their household. It made me question myself, only when something happens to someone close to us do we care about justice.

[Aditi Bachhawat (islejazz) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have you ever felt deceived by a book?

I picked up A Patchwork Family yesterday afternoon and was done with it by night. And while I started the book with a lot of anticipation, 24 hours later I feel completely deceived by it.

Towards the end of 2019 I realized how white my reading was. It comprised only of books by white authors. This fact left a very unsavory feeling in me. On top of it I realised that my knowledge of my country's literature was almost zero. Double that unsavory feeling. Therefore, I decided to undo this and set a goal to read more Indian literature and more works by Authors of color in 2020.

I came across A Patchwork Family late last year in bookstagram. The book title was my first intrigue and next was that solemn cover picture. The blurb promised me a tale of unrelated characters coming together and forming a family after having lost their own. This premise got all my mind bells tingling. I have always been intrigued by strangers forming bonds that run deeper than the ties of blood. Hence, I immediately added the book to my TBR.

A Patchwork Family is the debut novel by Pune-based lawyer Mukta Sathe and it was longlisted for the JCB Literature Prize in 2019. This is not a bad book. Considering that it is a debut, it is a good book. The themes that the story covers is eye-opening and very relevant. The intent of the author is on point. I so wanted to give this book 1 extra star just for the intent.

Being a lawyer, Sathe has tried to bring out the follies of the Indian Judicial System through the tale in A Patchwork Family. And I think that is a really brave and honest thing to do. Apart from that, she has also tried to broach subjects like patriarchy, feminism, and privilege blended with the life of an Indian middle class family.

The story is told from the point of view of two characters - Ajoba and Janaki. Ajoba (meaning grandfather in Marathi) is Janaki's grandfather's best friend. Sathe initiated the book by establishing the fact of how these two characters came to be related. Ajoba is a regular visitor in Janaki's house and has known the girl right from her birth. Across the course of the story, through stand-alone incidents, Sathe tries her best to convey how deep is the bond between Ajoba and Janaki. And that's where my qualms with the book begins.

When I started the book, I expected that I will get to see how these two unrelated people will make their patchwork family function. But I did not get that. Infact, after finishing the book I felt that the entire story would have still been the same had Ajoba not been in the scene. Ofcourse the book would have been shorter, but the story would have stood. This redundancy of a main character really made me uncomfortable. In all honesty the relationship between Ajoba and Janaki didn't make any sense to me and felt very unrealistic given the Indian setting.

Next was Janaki's character. We are introduced to this headstrong female protagonist who initially seems like a fighter but later succumbs to hypocrisy and self-righteousness. I hate it when that happens. May be the author wanted to show character growth, however the metamorphosis lacked credibility. She seemed like someone who latches on to people and ideals based on her convenience and abandons them when they don't agree with her mind space. I tried a lot to give her the benefit of the doubt considering all that she goes through, but towards the end she lost all my empathy.

Another complain from the book were underdeveloped characters. The characters of Rahul (Janaki's brother) and Pratiksha (Janaki's college friend) showed such great potential. But I was left unquenched by their treatment. Infact, instead of Ajoba, if Rahul would have been the other protagonist, the book would have made more sense. Sandhya was another character that had immense potential but was completely left hollow.

I really wanted to like this book. No doubt writer has put in a lot of heart in it. This book, this storyline could have been easily developed into 300+ pages book had the editor guided the writer. Mukta Sathe has not disappointed me. She gives me hope. But the editing was heartless, and that was the book's prime folly.

[Suprita Ranjan (doyouevenreallyread) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Patchwork Family by Mukta Sathe, quite simply, is a story about how a tragedy rips apart an entire family. Dig a little deeper and it's a story about survivor‘a guilt and how everyone reacts to grief in a very different way. In 200 pages Mukta Sathe manages to highlight issues that we as a society are still uncomfortable talking about. The story which is fast paced and gripping, exposes you to the shortcomings of our legal system and how justice is not always fair.

Now the book does a great job when it comes to describing the guilt and the strong sense of responsibility that you feel when it comes to getting justice for someone you think you’ve failed. How the guilt makes you relive the tragedy over and over again, hoping that you had done things differently, hoping that you were just a little braver. It also very subtly shows us how this quest for justice, over time becomes less about the victim and more about the survivor. The writing is simple and crisp which helps add gravitas to the story. There’s not a single word in the book that is not needed and thus your focus never shifts from the issues being talked about.

But the writing does get awkward and a little too idealistic sometimes. There is an entire section towards the end of the book where the protagonist, Janaki, is having a heated discussion with her brother Rahul about what justice means, who has the right to award justice, and who deserves justice in the first place, which just seems really really forced. Also, talking about Janaki, in a lot of places, especially towards the end, she did not seem like a real person anymore. She was more like a checklist, doing all the things and saying all the words necessary to paint her as a crusader for truth and justice and doing the right thing. For someone who has been through as much as she has, it was really disconcerting to see her look at these systems, that fail citizens, especially women (all the time), through these rose tinted glasses.

But inspite of this The Patchwork Family was so much more than what I was expecting it to be. I definitely recommend it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

TW- rape, murder, death of a child, death of a parent, suicide, terminal illness.

[Sanjukta · Rating 4 out of 5]

“ I felt a new kind of fear, for the first time. When I was in college I used to walk through all kinds of roads at night without being scared. And what could have really happened to me? Even later in life, I had never felt this sort of dread. I don’t have a daughter. For the first time I was scared of the road at night”

This book was about a lot of conversations around lifelong friendships, modern marriages, a woman’s conception of strength, the perception of security and the caste based reservation system. But most importantly, it was about the broken judicial and education system of our country. While the first half of this book is slightly slow, the story takes a sharp turn in the second half and it’s a hard one to put down.

A review I read online summarizes accurately: “The author, Mukta Sathe, raises pertinent questions, offering a critique of truth – the reality of truth and the truth of reality – and how its individual and collective perception, coloured by a socio-cultural lens, can affect judgements and alter lives”

[Shrestha Dey · Rating 5 out of 5]

'A Patchwork Family' by debuted author Mukta Sathe is a story of Janaki, who is a protagonist is a young girl and a lawyer, and Ajoba (grandfather in Marathi), her grandfather Sridhar’s best friend and her supporter since childhood. They are unrelated by blood. Now at 29-year-old Janaki and Ajoba 85 year old, agrees to move in with her in Mumbai and the two form a patchwork family.
Sridhar (Janki's real grandfather) was a doctor, and Ajoba, a dentist are childhood friends that continue till old age, with the two becoming even closer after the deaths of their spouses.
It’s an ideal family with Janaki, her brother Rahul who is five years her junior, mother, and father are one happy family at which Ajoba and his wife are a constant presence.
Rahul is an extrovert and makes friends easily which was opposite to his sister Janaki's personality. Rahul's world falls apart when his schoolmate, Akshay who was a studious boy was once taunted by his teachers for his falling grades and when a “note” is sent to his parents he commits suicide. Rahul becomes aggressive and wants to seek revenge for his friend’s death. But slowly everything gets back to normal.
Tragedy again struck when Janaki who was a law student witnessed a gang rape and murder of her best friend. What follows is our deeply flawed justice system and how it takes a toll on Janaki and her family's life. For 8 continuous years Janki keeps on fighting to bring the killers of her best friend but it started to impact her immediate family.
Janaki’s family tries to pursue her for not taking the case any further, but she is unstoppable. Her only supporter was Ajoba, who stands by her every decision.
By reading further you will get to know what happened that Janki is ready to take Ajoba but not any of her family members in Mumbai. The story is a recap of old incidents for those who read and at present Janki is coming to Pune to take Ajoba. Mukta Sathe questions the reality of truth, how its individual and perception by a socio-culture can affect judgments and alter existence lives.

[Manabjyoti Biswas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel is very relatable in some aspects and Muktha Sathe has done a great job in giving us the understanding of what it takes to stand for truth and justice. Preaching and practicing are two very different activities. It took all the strength and will for the central character Janaki to preach as well as practice, to fight a battle that lead her to lose her mother, her grandfather, her relationship with her father and her brother. Also her brother ended up in jail.

Throughout the novel, her constant strength was her family and Ajoba (her grandfather's friend) who loved her as his own granddaughter. At the end she lost her family and her only hope and strength was her connection with Ajoba.

Janaki is not a perfect human being and she has her flaws as much as anyone. That makes her real, real than just a fictional character. We see her evolve, transform and strengthen herself with resolve. She chose to keep fighting for her deceased friend who was brutally raped and murdered when her own family chose to move on/give up the fight as it was not their fight. Just because she didn't do something earlier like standing for the servant who was molested by Sunil uncle doesn't mean she has to be like that forever. This was very well pointed by her brother when she visited him in jail

'You are being a hypocrite, Janaki, a hypocrite. You say that I shout from the roof tops now only because it affects me. That's true. But what about you? You told the truth only because what happened affected you. It was only because your best friend was murdered that you withstood pressure and death threats and told the truth. Before that you were satisfied in turning a deaf ear to the truth. And you and I both know that. '

Some of the quotation are too brutally honest and relatable. I loved the novel because I can understand and relate Janaki's POV as well as her family's.

For example read this

'Sandhya was murdered... MURDERED, baba. And you tell me it's not worth the risk? And its not about emotions. It's about justice. You are telling me to forget that and be practical?'

'Janaki, its too dangerous!' Partha (Her father) cried out.

'Well now you are also sounding like those waiters and the manager who did not help me. "Let's be practical" they said. "Taking panga swith goons is not good for buisnes. Let the girl die." You want me to be like them? No, I won't be like them? Even if I die, I will.. '

' Enough, Janaki, I have heard enough, 'Shridhar (her grandfather) interrupted loudly , getting up from his chair...' Stop judging us like this. Stop shouting at us with righteous indignation. Yes, we are like those waiters. We don't want our daughter to die. We are selfish because we do not want you to die.'

The novel not just explore rape but also scrutinise our society, our educational system, image of women, slow judicial system, social class, policemen and more.

This is overall a jam packed novel.

[Manisha Mahanandia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard for me to believe that this is a debut book. The confidence in the writing is spine chilling. I got this book for 150-200 rupees needless to say it's worth is way more than it's price. I think it deserves a place in your library.

Ajoba waiting for Janaki, in these last few moments in the city where he was born and brought up he tells us a story. And boy! He has a story to tell.

I'm all praises for this book! Where do I begin?

Let me start with it's narration. There are two protagonists who tell us a story; Ajoba and Janaki. Ajoba, a 85 year old man is preparing to move in with Janaki, his bestfriend's granddaughter. His bestfriend and him were like brothers so they consider themselves as a part of family. I particularly loved that old man is narrating this story because he adds more sweetness, subtlety and rationality. Also, we get to peep into old age a little bit. He describes the other characters beautifully. He knows Janaki since her birth, he knows about her more than herself, he is able to give us details about her that she herself would've have forgotten. (If that makes sense)

The second thing is that the way it addresses various political topics very confidently and rightfully. When I was reading this book I could relate to most of it. It explains why things are the way they are too.

I cannot say much without giving spoilers and I don't want to spoil this book for you! If you've not started reading yet, start 2020 with this one. Beginners too.

The writing style is simple and powerful. Barely 200 pages yet it will move you, touch you to your core. By the time I was in the last page I was crying.

Also, I couldn't help but notice the striking resemblance with Jhumpa Lahiri's The Lowland. Not story wise but the feeling of it, the theme of the plot in the second part of the book was very similar to that.

[Prerna Mishra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely unputdownable

I finished this unputdownable read in an afternoon and I am thankful to @thejcbprize for having introduced me to these gems of writing from my motherland.
Janaki and Ajoba(grandfather in Marathi) have a beautiful relationship. Ever since her childhood he has been the only person she has been able to open up to and he has provided her the emotional security that even her parents couldn’t. So when he is 85, it seems only natural that she asks him to move in with her. Except that he is not her own grandfather, he is her grandfather’s best friend. He is the only family she can patch together after going through a string of losses, which started with the loss of her best friend Sandhya to a heinous crime and the subsequent repercussions of actions; some her own, some of others.
It’s hard to fit this book into a genre. It’s a thriller; it’s a family drama; it’s also a doctrine on social justice; and it’s absolutely brilliant in all these three genres. It would make readers evaluate their conscience in light of the events that happen around them. But at the core of it all would remain a middle class family where the need to protect their own is above all.

While the book raises many questions, there was a particular one I pondered about for a while. There is a penal code that lays down the laws of a country, there is also a sense of moral justice that human beings have. The penal code treats everyone innocent until proven otherwise, our moral code is not so unbiased. This often brings these two in conflict. Who is to decide which one is better?

[Sridatta Gupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

#bookreveiw: A Patchwork Family by Mukta Sathe
Have you ever felt 'meh' after reading a book? I was left with this feeling after finishing Mukta Sathe's debut novel, A Patchwork Family.
I was looking for a short read and the title of the book intrigued me. The story started with the narrator, Ajoba( grandfather in Marathi) and his relation with his best friend. It then spins in to how a bond of friendship, love and trust develops with his best friend's grand daughter Janaki. While the narrator talks about this beautiful bond, he sites certain misdoings of the society and the system may be to create more awareness among the readers.

When I started the book I had an expectation that people with losses will explore the contours of the uncertainties of relationships and get together to weave the fabric of a patchwork family. But I was utterly dissapointed. Sathe in this debut novel of hers has made an honest attempt to create the drama and explore the depth of human emotions but somewhere it was very loose and shallow. In all honesty the relation between Ajoba and Janaki didn't make any sense to me and felt very unrealistic.

The book didn't have much to offer. It lacked depth. What added to my frustration was the underdeveloped characters. I felt the premise of the story was beautiful and it could have been developed into a full-fledged novel.

I will award 3 stars out of 5 to this book

[Sharanya Mukherji · Rating 2 out of 5]

"you don't feel like you're reading a book, when you come across a very good book"
- tagore

This is the story of Janaki and Ajooba two individuals who lost everything in their life and they ultimately have only each other. The most unlikely individuals who have come under familial ties. Hence the name sake of this narrative.

Now how do I find this story? Well not that great - I felt I was reading a book.

Ever since I started penning my thoughts, about my various reading pursuits, I have always tried to find the good in every book that I have read - but for the very first time as a reader I fail to find the silver lining in the clouds. Which earlier I always used to find even in the darkest of clouds.

Sathe's heart might be in the right place but her pen seems to wander off to some far off dimensions which this mere mortal can't comprehend. In fact reading this text felt like a task. It was not the story teller in me who was thrilled to listen to another person's tale but rather the completionist in me who just wanted to complete this book and get on with his life.

The story has two principle narrators Janaki and Ajooba but the former feels like a coward who tries hard to justify her cowardice. Which just led to a very erratic reading experience for this reader. Even at the last page of the book I kept on asking myself what's the point - but as I turned the page - I was met with monographs advertising other books by the publishers...

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going, to be honest here. I have read this book recently for Jcb literature long list reading challenge. And I'm totally unflattered.

This book reminded me of Ruchika's case and how the criminal escaped from the law by using loopholes. This book kinda has the same theme but I can't tolerate the protagonist Janaki at all.

Janaki is self-righteous and thinks whatever she does is right. Though I admired her courage to stand up for her friend, it was not impactful. Also, she's such a hypocrite.

And as the story progresses, I literally got frustrated with her behaviour. I liked Ajoba and his calm demeanour.
And I feel that the story is kind of rushed. The characters are not impactful. And the writing is just lazy. This is just a one time read for me.

[bongbooksandcoffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a very readable book that presents in no frills prose the sad state of the justice system today and its effect on ordinary people who seek its courts. It is the debut book of the author and this is an author whom you may want to watch out in future.Very promising indeed.

A Patchwork Family is a story of guilt, incarceration, absolution and finally finding love & support in unexpected quarters. Narrated in alternating voices of 85 yrs old Ajoba(Grandfather in Marathi) and 29 year old Janaki, the story brings the readers face to face with questions on dilemma of morality, the loneliness of human existence and the concept of family. It takes a hard look at the concepts of family and companionship and challenges the proverbial definition of both.

Full review up on my blog
https:\\bongbooksandcoffee.com

[Regina (◡ ω ◡) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a feel good book. Def should be on everyone's tbr if they like feel good and contemporary fiction.

[Areeb Ahmad (Bankrupt_Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Janaki sat there, shocked. And I was as shocked as her. I couldn't help staring at the defence lawyer, listening as he defamed a girl whom I had known all her life. And I wondered if the world had gone crazy."


RATING: 4/5

Subtly unsettling, this is an unputdownable read. I finished it in a single sitting without taking breaks. It probably wouldn't have crossed my radar if not for the JCB Prize longlist, so kudos to all the judges this year. Narrated in the first person, Janiki and Ajoba (Marathi for grandfather), take turns to bring readers up to speed through extended flashbacks. Most of the action is set in the past, present circumstances explained over the narrative's course. Both of them are alone, trying to form a makeshift patchwork family of their own, born not of blood but of a shared tragic past.

Sathe highlights the debilitating effects of rape, how it affects families, and what it is like living with survivor's guilt, helpless. Bringing her own experience as a lawyer into bearing, she constantly scrutinizes the slow-moving, if it moves at all, wheel of justice and how moral justice can differ vastly from the one given out by courts. The system is broken and the binary of justice and injustice is also brought into question. The writing is a bit awkward in places, it's a debut after all. My favourite on the longlist till now.