What do you think?
Rate this book
Girl in White Cotton
Antara has never understood her mother Tara's decisions - walking out on her marriage to follow a guru, living on the streets like a beggar, shacking up with an unknown artist, rebelling against society's expectations ... But when Tara starts losing her memory, Antara searches for a way to make peace with their shared past, a past that haunts them both. As she relives her childhood in Pune in the eighties, Catholic boarding school in the hills of Maharashtra, and her years as a young artist in Bombay, Antara comes up against her own fears and neuroses, realizing she might not be so different from Tara after all. Girl in White Cotton is a journey into shifting memories, altering identities and the subjective nature of truth. Tracing the fragile line between familial devotion and deception, Avni Doshi's mesmerizing first novel will surprise and unsettle you.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2019
115 people are currently reading
1459 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 224 reviews
February 24, 2020
“Oh, but you will love them when you have your own”, this is the substandard reply I get when I say I do not want to have children. I will love children once I have my own, like the copy of The Testaments I was planning on buying. Would I have loved it had I had my own copy? I suspect no. No, because buying a copy will not change the fact that it is poorly written. It will not change the fact that Bernadine Evaristo had to share her Booker Prize with it because the judges had to make appearances (maybe). You see, that is not how this whole thing works. Ownership does not bring love; it might beget pity for that thing because you have spent on it.
This concept of ownership is not exclusively related to not wanting to have kids. Society has found other uses for it. Like being a mother to one’s daughter and giving her all the love you can gather because you are a mother and how can you not do that? Forget that the mother in question is a human being with a past that she cannot shred at all. Avni Doshi’s Girl in White Cotton is about a mother who competes with her daughter and a daughter who thinks about killing her daughter. I wish it was as simple as I have presented it to be. Then, the author need not have written a 273-pages long book and I would not have to sit in front of my laptop to try and write my thoughts about the book.
Relationships can be damaged without our knowledge. A situation might trigger a part of us whose existence we might have been unaware of. Antara’s mother, Tara, names her daughter after her not because of love. Tara wants her daughter to be her foil, Un-Tara-like. But will naming a baby be enough to make it unlike her mother? Avni Doshi’s sparse writing cleaves through this dense subject matter at hand. The writing never unsettles the reader, as if it is trying to smoothen their journey as much as it can.
This concept of ownership is not exclusively related to not wanting to have kids. Society has found other uses for it. Like being a mother to one’s daughter and giving her all the love you can gather because you are a mother and how can you not do that? Forget that the mother in question is a human being with a past that she cannot shred at all. Avni Doshi’s Girl in White Cotton is about a mother who competes with her daughter and a daughter who thinks about killing her daughter. I wish it was as simple as I have presented it to be. Then, the author need not have written a 273-pages long book and I would not have to sit in front of my laptop to try and write my thoughts about the book.
Relationships can be damaged without our knowledge. A situation might trigger a part of us whose existence we might have been unaware of. Antara’s mother, Tara, names her daughter after her not because of love. Tara wants her daughter to be her foil, Un-Tara-like. But will naming a baby be enough to make it unlike her mother? Avni Doshi’s sparse writing cleaves through this dense subject matter at hand. The writing never unsettles the reader, as if it is trying to smoothen their journey as much as it can.
November 3, 2019
A deeply disturbing story told in a narrative voice that is hypnotising in its grim beauty. The writing is at once ruthless and exquisite. I'm going to revisit this often.
September 27, 2019
A hauntingly beautiful book!
Girl in White Cotton by Avni Doshi is about a Mother and her Daughter, The mother is forgetting things and this memory loss makes Antara, her daughter remember all sorts of things that happened to her; when her mother left her marital home to go live in an ashram with a toddler, Antara’s difficult childhood with an absentee and selfish mother along with horrific description of the ashram life from the POV of a child; Antara’s time in Boarding school and later with her mum and her mum’s lover.
The book has a dark and tragic air around it; as the Daughter goes down the memory lane we come to know the effects of a mother-daughter relationship that is way off from the ‘purest form of love’ angle and the repercussions it has on the Daughter’s mental health throughout her life.
The book is about two people slowly losing themselves, one is losing her memory and another her mind.
Read the book if you are a fan of books that unnerve you and makes you uncomfortable; Girl in White Cotton is definitely a challenge but one that is worth it all.
A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this slightly disturbing and enchanting tale.
Girl in White Cotton by Avni Doshi is about a Mother and her Daughter, The mother is forgetting things and this memory loss makes Antara, her daughter remember all sorts of things that happened to her; when her mother left her marital home to go live in an ashram with a toddler, Antara’s difficult childhood with an absentee and selfish mother along with horrific description of the ashram life from the POV of a child; Antara’s time in Boarding school and later with her mum and her mum’s lover.
The book has a dark and tragic air around it; as the Daughter goes down the memory lane we come to know the effects of a mother-daughter relationship that is way off from the ‘purest form of love’ angle and the repercussions it has on the Daughter’s mental health throughout her life.
The book is about two people slowly losing themselves, one is losing her memory and another her mind.
Read the book if you are a fan of books that unnerve you and makes you uncomfortable; Girl in White Cotton is definitely a challenge but one that is worth it all.
A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this slightly disturbing and enchanting tale.
September 14, 2020
Okay, I'm done. And I get it. I really fucking get it.
September 25, 2020
How do you recall a bitter taste in your mouth, left usually by something unwarranted or unfamiliar. Would you remember something specific which made the inside of your mouth feel acrid, stinging to the point of repulsion. Or would you recollect the whole episode as unsavoury, not intending to remind yourself of the affair at all.
Perhaps it would depend upon what you choose to keep at the centre of your experience. If you ever wish to remember that is.
In Doshi’s book, which is essentially about a troubled mother-daughter relationship, there were way too many places where I sulked and wondered where to place this feeling. Was I angry with the mother who birthed a daughter and failed to understand the responsibility which comes with being a parent? A bit perhaps, the struggle to adjust with the changes while entering motherhood is understandable. But can that struggle be lifelong. What if a mother is not in tune with the ways of the world and expected behaviour on her part. Can one judge such a person, who otherwise tries to live her life to the fullest, indulging in the passionate pursuits while remaining unmindful to those who really need her or depend upon her for their existence. I don’t know. I tried understanding the characters, the author’s intent in creating them and giving them a life which seems too unreal for minds completely adjusted to the ordered dynamics of mother-child relationships and norms of a society.
Perhaps as an individual, I can understand the conflicts tormenting a restless mind but as a mother, I feel uncomfortable.
Author’s narrative is mostly fluid except at some places where it seems hackneyed or superfluous. I was tempted to abandon the reading in between but only skipped some paragraphs here and there.
Perhaps it would depend upon what you choose to keep at the centre of your experience. If you ever wish to remember that is.
In Doshi’s book, which is essentially about a troubled mother-daughter relationship, there were way too many places where I sulked and wondered where to place this feeling. Was I angry with the mother who birthed a daughter and failed to understand the responsibility which comes with being a parent? A bit perhaps, the struggle to adjust with the changes while entering motherhood is understandable. But can that struggle be lifelong. What if a mother is not in tune with the ways of the world and expected behaviour on her part. Can one judge such a person, who otherwise tries to live her life to the fullest, indulging in the passionate pursuits while remaining unmindful to those who really need her or depend upon her for their existence. I don’t know. I tried understanding the characters, the author’s intent in creating them and giving them a life which seems too unreal for minds completely adjusted to the ordered dynamics of mother-child relationships and norms of a society.
Perhaps as an individual, I can understand the conflicts tormenting a restless mind but as a mother, I feel uncomfortable.
Author’s narrative is mostly fluid except at some places where it seems hackneyed or superfluous. I was tempted to abandon the reading in between but only skipped some paragraphs here and there.
September 7, 2019
Mother-daughter relationships, or mother-child relationships to be more comprehensive, are mostly hailed as sacred. A mother’s love for her child is touted as the ‘purest form of love’. So, what happens when you encounter a mother-daughter duo which doesn’t conform to this traditional role-play? How do you come to terms with a mother who competes with her only child, a daughter who takes pleasure in her “mother’s misery”? Avni Doshi in her debut novel, Girl in White Cotton, charts the course of one such relationship, between the characters Tara and Antara, and lays bare a complex system of childhood trauma, incest, and compliance to societal norms that is at the very heart of their shared dynamics.
The novel concerns Antara, who seems to be named as a foil to her mother, Tara (Un-tara), who is an artist married to an NRI working in Pune, named Dilip. The two share their marital bed and responsibilities, but there’s nothing electric about their chemistry. Tara, now ageing, is slowly forgetting things. Somedays she forgets the recipes she had memorized when she was younger and on other days, she fails to recognize Antara. But mostly, she is stubborn in her reluctance to admit that gradually her mind is “leaking.”
The novel begins with a sentence that leaves you slightly discomfited, with Antara proclaiming that any pain her mother suffers seems to her to be universe’s way of balancing out all the grief she has experienced because of her mother’s (mis)conduct towards her. As the plot progresses, you prepare yourself for revelations that will explain this dysfunctionality, this almost shocking sadism. The reasons unfold slowly, even quietly, as if, Doshi is trying to compensate for all the harrowing events by breaking the news gently.
You are taken into the interior of Tara and Antara’s lives but the journey is devoid of sudden jolts. Doshi’s writing only adds to this smooth travel by being sparse and precise without being sharply so. Girl in White Cotton is not cliched, yet, there’s no moment in the novel that has a jarring quality to it. Perhaps, my only problem with the novel was the closure that I was seeking but never got. However, I recognize that it is a very individual requirement, and that penning such finality can sometimes render a book too melodramatic for its own good.
The novel concerns Antara, who seems to be named as a foil to her mother, Tara (Un-tara), who is an artist married to an NRI working in Pune, named Dilip. The two share their marital bed and responsibilities, but there’s nothing electric about their chemistry. Tara, now ageing, is slowly forgetting things. Somedays she forgets the recipes she had memorized when she was younger and on other days, she fails to recognize Antara. But mostly, she is stubborn in her reluctance to admit that gradually her mind is “leaking.”
The novel begins with a sentence that leaves you slightly discomfited, with Antara proclaiming that any pain her mother suffers seems to her to be universe’s way of balancing out all the grief she has experienced because of her mother’s (mis)conduct towards her. As the plot progresses, you prepare yourself for revelations that will explain this dysfunctionality, this almost shocking sadism. The reasons unfold slowly, even quietly, as if, Doshi is trying to compensate for all the harrowing events by breaking the news gently.
You are taken into the interior of Tara and Antara’s lives but the journey is devoid of sudden jolts. Doshi’s writing only adds to this smooth travel by being sparse and precise without being sharply so. Girl in White Cotton is not cliched, yet, there’s no moment in the novel that has a jarring quality to it. Perhaps, my only problem with the novel was the closure that I was seeking but never got. However, I recognize that it is a very individual requirement, and that penning such finality can sometimes render a book too melodramatic for its own good.
September 26, 2019
Rating: 4.25/ 5
The title 'Girl in White Cotton' caught my attention, the cover piqued my interest, and there I knew that I had to give this book a shot. Thereafter, I read the blurb and felt a pull towards the book. It drew me inside of it slowly, took me to the strange recesses of the heart and society, introduced me to the ways of the world, jolted me hard with its smooth narrative, unsettled me with its pervasive and ever-encompassing melancholy, and eventually left me to process what I read and felt.
Doshi's debut novel is different in a way that it silently steps into your mind, takes your hand and pull you out of your reveries to witness the shifting dynamics of a mother-daughter relationship. Tara and her daughter Antara are the protagonists of this contemporary fiction. With the deterring age, Tara has begun to forget things. 'Human degeneration halts and sputters but doesn't reverse.' Antara starts taking care of her and makes repeated attempts to make her remember what she's forgotten. In the story swinging back and forth, we come across the past of the two women interlaced in a pristine relationship but appear to be at different tangents forever. Tara has been a rebellious woman who took an exit from an unloving marriage and found solace in an Ashram. In the process of defying the societal norms, she also meets a vagabond artist Reza who leaves an indelible mark on her. But the impression has more depth on Antara's rather than Tara's life. He becomes her art which she continues to display and show around without a care.
As Doshi maneuvers her way through the polar personalities, she unravels the altering identities and shifting memories. She juxtaposes the blunt writing with smooth sadness that never leaves you. You keep on reading through those properly served words and before you realize, start reading between the lines. Everything seems apparent and yet seems not. I traveled to the territories of a raw human which are more or less never tread. You would never want to step in certain places because they put something aflame and douses the other within you. I had no idea that the book will take a different turn altogether and would turn out to be something totally divested from what I perceived it to be. I was invested in the story thoroughly. I took my time to even leave it unattended for some days for I wanted to absorb whatever I was reading.
To conclude it, the brilliant storytelling and excellent development of the narrative had definitely hooked me. I remember a book The Nine-Chambered Heart I read earlier this year and I could sense the similar vibe drawing upon me as I took to reading Girl in White Cotton.
The title 'Girl in White Cotton' caught my attention, the cover piqued my interest, and there I knew that I had to give this book a shot. Thereafter, I read the blurb and felt a pull towards the book. It drew me inside of it slowly, took me to the strange recesses of the heart and society, introduced me to the ways of the world, jolted me hard with its smooth narrative, unsettled me with its pervasive and ever-encompassing melancholy, and eventually left me to process what I read and felt.
Doshi's debut novel is different in a way that it silently steps into your mind, takes your hand and pull you out of your reveries to witness the shifting dynamics of a mother-daughter relationship. Tara and her daughter Antara are the protagonists of this contemporary fiction. With the deterring age, Tara has begun to forget things. 'Human degeneration halts and sputters but doesn't reverse.' Antara starts taking care of her and makes repeated attempts to make her remember what she's forgotten. In the story swinging back and forth, we come across the past of the two women interlaced in a pristine relationship but appear to be at different tangents forever. Tara has been a rebellious woman who took an exit from an unloving marriage and found solace in an Ashram. In the process of defying the societal norms, she also meets a vagabond artist Reza who leaves an indelible mark on her. But the impression has more depth on Antara's rather than Tara's life. He becomes her art which she continues to display and show around without a care.
As Doshi maneuvers her way through the polar personalities, she unravels the altering identities and shifting memories. She juxtaposes the blunt writing with smooth sadness that never leaves you. You keep on reading through those properly served words and before you realize, start reading between the lines. Everything seems apparent and yet seems not. I traveled to the territories of a raw human which are more or less never tread. You would never want to step in certain places because they put something aflame and douses the other within you. I had no idea that the book will take a different turn altogether and would turn out to be something totally divested from what I perceived it to be. I was invested in the story thoroughly. I took my time to even leave it unattended for some days for I wanted to absorb whatever I was reading.
To conclude it, the brilliant storytelling and excellent development of the narrative had definitely hooked me. I remember a book The Nine-Chambered Heart I read earlier this year and I could sense the similar vibe drawing upon me as I took to reading Girl in White Cotton.
September 16, 2020
If you plan on reading 'Girl In White Cotton', then I have two requests to make. Please brace yourself to come face to face with some uncomfortable truths and please don't DNF the book after reading the first 100 pages. It starts slow but it gets better and it's only after you are around halfway through the book you start making sense of why it is written the way it is written. It is unconventional, unsettling and even grotesque but it is a book that you should read.
#japreviews20
"This contempt still draws up the moment I feel uncomfortable. I disown so I can never be disowned."
If you ask what this book is about then essentially a story of Tara and Antara- a mother and daughter who share a sort of love hate relationship. Antara never understood her mother's decisions which actually are unconventional. She (Tara) is an out and out rebel, leaves her marriage to follow a guru and a lot more. In a later phase she gets Alzheimer's and starts loosing her memory and that's when Antara starts helping her and actually understands that they may not be so different after all. A book about altering identifies and subjectivity of truth, this one's special.
I usually get a feeling in the first 50 pages of the book if I am gonna like it or not but with this book you can't figure that out so soon. It takes its own time and I urge you to be not quick to judge. The narrative is slow and fragmented, lacks action, is kind of disconnected and speaks about issues that are not usually spoken about. It takes its own time and I urge you to be not quick to judge. You can't decide in the first 50, 100 or even 150 pages if you like it because this book is not something you 'like'. It's a book that unsettles you, makes you uncomfortable, makes you crave for action but it won't give it to you before it's time. It is something that grows on you and that is why you will find yourself drifting towards the book.
#japreviews20
"This contempt still draws up the moment I feel uncomfortable. I disown so I can never be disowned."
If you ask what this book is about then essentially a story of Tara and Antara- a mother and daughter who share a sort of love hate relationship. Antara never understood her mother's decisions which actually are unconventional. She (Tara) is an out and out rebel, leaves her marriage to follow a guru and a lot more. In a later phase she gets Alzheimer's and starts loosing her memory and that's when Antara starts helping her and actually understands that they may not be so different after all. A book about altering identifies and subjectivity of truth, this one's special.
I usually get a feeling in the first 50 pages of the book if I am gonna like it or not but with this book you can't figure that out so soon. It takes its own time and I urge you to be not quick to judge. The narrative is slow and fragmented, lacks action, is kind of disconnected and speaks about issues that are not usually spoken about. It takes its own time and I urge you to be not quick to judge. You can't decide in the first 50, 100 or even 150 pages if you like it because this book is not something you 'like'. It's a book that unsettles you, makes you uncomfortable, makes you crave for action but it won't give it to you before it's time. It is something that grows on you and that is why you will find yourself drifting towards the book.
September 12, 2020
In Burnt Sugar/Girl in White Cotton, Antara is the unreliable narrator who is finally getting to control her mother Tara's life, as Tara slowly loses her memory. The years of neglect, lack of stability, loving family life is finally taking the toll on both mother and daughter. Their symbiotic relationship means they feed off each other's misery. The sentences are short, prose is sparse but not the kind which makes the reader understand the unsaid words, rather it gets confusing, descending into flowery descriptions.
.
I found it too pretentious. Like a writer's fantasy of what a 'critically acclaimed' book should read like and not an actual book.
.
There are flashes of brilliance here and there, sentences which gleam, but this is a kind of 'meandering' book, without beginning or the end, which is content to loiter around. This was not my kind of book. People have read and loved it but I didn't become a fan. It picked up in the last quarter though where the author's knack of writing characters shone through. If you want to complete your #BookerLongList, do pick it up else, read the online reviews 😀
.
I found it too pretentious. Like a writer's fantasy of what a 'critically acclaimed' book should read like and not an actual book.
.
There are flashes of brilliance here and there, sentences which gleam, but this is a kind of 'meandering' book, without beginning or the end, which is content to loiter around. This was not my kind of book. People have read and loved it but I didn't become a fan. It picked up in the last quarter though where the author's knack of writing characters shone through. If you want to complete your #BookerLongList, do pick it up else, read the online reviews 😀
September 27, 2020
I WOULD BE LYING IF I said my mother’s misery has never given me pleasure. I suffered at her hands as a child, and any pain she subsequently endured appeared to me to be a kind of redemption – a rebalancing of the universe, where the rational order of cause and effect aligned.
This is not your everyday book. This is about a broken mother-daughter relationship where the mother is a callous lady and her daughter is wary of her in every way possible. The relationship is strained, not a stereotype in any manner. And this is bound to make you uncomfortable.
I learned that what I had done all my life had a name. Interventions. I had been making interventions for ten years. I distinguished, quickly, what I liked, what persisted in my mind. Painting was just an impression. Drawing, I saw, was the grid. Ground, walls, sky. All the things that were real and yet incomprehensible. The city was changing every day, bridges, skyscrapers, new hotels. Small Portuguese bungalows were being levelled to make way for malls. Everyone wanted to build up. Only I had the urge to strip down.
The book is not positive and it is one of those books that would be a great contender for the Booker Prize. Booker Prize winning books are off-beat in general, and this has all the characteristics of one!
Also, so many people DNFing the book - it is understandable and it is good. Honestly, if you have liked books like The White Tiger and The God Of Small Things, you will like this one.
The best part about the book is the ending. Now that I have an appetite to appreciate literary writing, this is one of my favourites in that bracket.
I also appreciate the writing - the philosophies mentioned, the way the story flows, that is what makes this one special.
Sometimes, when we are too many in the house, I wish she would die, at least for a little while, and then come back in any form I saw fit. Maybe a dog who would give me unconditional love and follow me around. Even as these thoughts enter my head, I can’t believe I am thinking them. I love her, my mother. I love her to death. I don’t know where I would be without her. I don’t know who I would be. If she would only stop being such a terrible cunt, I would get her back on track.
In Conclusion
Not everyone's cup of tea, read it only if you've loved the previous Booker winners.
June 2, 2021
“Can a performance of pleasure, even love, turn into a true experience if one becomes fluent enough in it? When does the performance become reality?”
What I liked about this book- it’s attempt to portray a complex mother-daughter relation, talking about emotional needs of a child and long term consequences of bad parenting on a child.
However, this book doesn’t explore the relation dynamics, becomes more like a one sided rant by the middle portion. I did not like the past event descriptions which could have been analytical but try being very suspense oriented and don’t deliver anything on that front either. Also, unnecessary description of certain filth could have been avoided as they do not help build any depth to the narrator’s character.
All in all, just an okay one time read for experienced fiction genre readers.
What I liked about this book- it’s attempt to portray a complex mother-daughter relation, talking about emotional needs of a child and long term consequences of bad parenting on a child.
However, this book doesn’t explore the relation dynamics, becomes more like a one sided rant by the middle portion. I did not like the past event descriptions which could have been analytical but try being very suspense oriented and don’t deliver anything on that front either. Also, unnecessary description of certain filth could have been avoided as they do not help build any depth to the narrator’s character.
All in all, just an okay one time read for experienced fiction genre readers.
November 26, 2021
"She's become so fat, your mother. Her knuckles are swollen to double what they were. How will you pry the jewellary off her hands when she dies?"
The above is said by the grandmother to the daughter about the mother. That simple sentence laid almost casually summarizes the book's theme - tyranny of mothers.
Avni Doshi's two titled book is a scathing, beautifully worded tirade of a daughter's responsibility to a mother who neglected her in her childhood. There is apparently more malice even in an ordinary scene when the intentions are known - which I felt was bold writing. Not because it characterizes Antara and her mother Tara (Un-doing names - well played) but because it could be any parent and child.
Switching between two timelines, the past is filled with unsaid or hinted horrors. The godman of Pune episodes can probably surprise the international audience. The equation between the mother and her in-laws is realistic and hence all the more the impact. The author uses language that are borderline elitist and mostly amusing that makes such a grim tale still enjoyable.
Sample this:
"‘The doctor says my mother has become unreliable.’
‘We are all unreliable. The past seems to have a vigor that the present does not.”
Except for Believers by Zoe Heller, I can't remember the last book that explored parental tyranny like this. I don't want to spoil the ending given the author has quite managed it herself.
The above is said by the grandmother to the daughter about the mother. That simple sentence laid almost casually summarizes the book's theme - tyranny of mothers.
Avni Doshi's two titled book is a scathing, beautifully worded tirade of a daughter's responsibility to a mother who neglected her in her childhood. There is apparently more malice even in an ordinary scene when the intentions are known - which I felt was bold writing. Not because it characterizes Antara and her mother Tara (Un-doing names - well played) but because it could be any parent and child.
Switching between two timelines, the past is filled with unsaid or hinted horrors. The godman of Pune episodes can probably surprise the international audience. The equation between the mother and her in-laws is realistic and hence all the more the impact. The author uses language that are borderline elitist and mostly amusing that makes such a grim tale still enjoyable.
Sample this:
"‘The doctor says my mother has become unreliable.’
‘We are all unreliable. The past seems to have a vigor that the present does not.”
Except for Believers by Zoe Heller, I can't remember the last book that explored parental tyranny like this. I don't want to spoil the ending given the author has quite managed it herself.
October 1, 2019
It is the kind of book that stays with you long after you have finished reading it .
How do you describe a relationship that is so toxic that it is beautiful ...Girl in White cotton does exactly that.
Can there ever be a mother who competes with her own child? Can there ever be a child who takes pleasure in her mother's pain? And yet love each other so much that you can't bear the thought of staying apart .The answer is yes but due to social stigmas we aren't supposed to talk about these feelings. The book shows that it is okay for a mother to be human and be wrong.
The one thing which really touched me was the way post partum depression was discussed. It is a real thing but often not talked about.
The book is written beautifully. I probably would have loved a closure in the end but it is still a wonderful read.
.
How do you describe a relationship that is so toxic that it is beautiful ...Girl in White cotton does exactly that.
Can there ever be a mother who competes with her own child? Can there ever be a child who takes pleasure in her mother's pain? And yet love each other so much that you can't bear the thought of staying apart .The answer is yes but due to social stigmas we aren't supposed to talk about these feelings. The book shows that it is okay for a mother to be human and be wrong.
The one thing which really touched me was the way post partum depression was discussed. It is a real thing but often not talked about.
The book is written beautifully. I probably would have loved a closure in the end but it is still a wonderful read.
.
September 25, 2020
A dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship is a milked trope. But this one is sinister, shocking, but casual in its shocking-ness, as if this was how it should be. So an outburst in this book is pitched at the same tone as an inner monologue. The circumstances are understandably muddy- a daughter wants to seek revenge from her abusive mother, but she also loves her- the umbilical cord never snaps. But to add to this complex feeling is the mother losing her memory- how can you punish someone for something they don't remember doing? She also becomes caretaker and the relationship keeps imploding.
It gets a little unnerving because you are sensing the narrator's sense of superiority through the narrative colour her every thought and interaction. It's as if she is resigned to pain and mediocrity. I wish the writing were less cliched in places, there is a sense of cloyingness in some interactions. Every event that takes place doesn't get you closer to the characters, they are just as inert and shut-off, even the narrator- you get no sense of this person, as if she is always roiling in that anxious space of anger- she's always angry, always hurting, always blaming, always repentant, always thankful. It's a bit too textbook-avant garde. But this doesn't get too painful because of the short length of the book.
I loved the names- the mother is Tara and the daughter Antara. Antara, the narrator, thinks she was named so deliberately, to be the opposite of her mother, Un-Tara. That was quite clever! Also the fact that Antara is an artist, attempting to paint from memory adds a nice touch. The book afterall is about that- how much we remember, and how we remember, if we remember at all. As she writes, "Reality is co-authored".
It gets a little unnerving because you are sensing the narrator's sense of superiority through the narrative colour her every thought and interaction. It's as if she is resigned to pain and mediocrity. I wish the writing were less cliched in places, there is a sense of cloyingness in some interactions. Every event that takes place doesn't get you closer to the characters, they are just as inert and shut-off, even the narrator- you get no sense of this person, as if she is always roiling in that anxious space of anger- she's always angry, always hurting, always blaming, always repentant, always thankful. It's a bit too textbook-avant garde. But this doesn't get too painful because of the short length of the book.
I loved the names- the mother is Tara and the daughter Antara. Antara, the narrator, thinks she was named so deliberately, to be the opposite of her mother, Un-Tara. That was quite clever! Also the fact that Antara is an artist, attempting to paint from memory adds a nice touch. The book afterall is about that- how much we remember, and how we remember, if we remember at all. As she writes, "Reality is co-authored".
October 18, 2019
I have been struggling to review this one since I really don't know HOW to sum up my thoughts on this book or even its story.
If I could use 1 word for the whole book, it would be "strange" (not in a bad way). In the start it almost gave me horror and paranormal vibes, well it surely was lowkey terrifying at times. The narration was mostly crisp and to the point but at various places I also felt like the story drifted away from the main plot with too much unnecessary details, however it all fit well towards the end and made the overall reading experience more spooky. There was a suspense factor that was built up really well. It is one of those books that leave you thinking too much and a little creeped out. If you're into Halloween reads, even though it's not really horror genre but if you want that feeling that leave you unsettled and moved I'll say go for this one for a different experience all together.🤯
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
If I could use 1 word for the whole book, it would be "strange" (not in a bad way). In the start it almost gave me horror and paranormal vibes, well it surely was lowkey terrifying at times. The narration was mostly crisp and to the point but at various places I also felt like the story drifted away from the main plot with too much unnecessary details, however it all fit well towards the end and made the overall reading experience more spooky. There was a suspense factor that was built up really well. It is one of those books that leave you thinking too much and a little creeped out. If you're into Halloween reads, even though it's not really horror genre but if you want that feeling that leave you unsettled and moved I'll say go for this one for a different experience all together.🤯
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
March 2, 2020
' Girl in White Cotton ' by Avni Doshi is a story of mother daughter duo Tara and Antara who share an acrid and cranky relationship instead of affectionate and tenacious bond with each other.
💧
Tara ruins her marital life with her unsteady behaviour and also makes her baby toddler suffer by running away from the house to an ashram with her daughter. There in the ashram, the whirlpool of circumstances faced by Antara creates a havoc in her life craving towards motherly love. But Tara remains nonchalant to the torments of her daughter divulging herself in spiritual activities. She suffers from loneliness and abandance at a very tender age. The disturbing, disheartened and despondent childhood thanks to the erratic nature of her mother gives rise to many unforeseen 'repurcussions' in her life.
💧
Yet, now Antara oblivious to the past, longs for the recovery of her mother when she suffers from Alzheimer's . She tries to bring back her memory in all possible ways. But In contrary she often feels quite envious of her mother who starts forgetting while leaving her with nothing less than harrowful tattered reminiscent pieces of their terrible past.
💧
The story was entirely narrated from POV of Antara. Antara's abhorrent , inconsistent and repugnant state of mind in the process of escaping from her own 'repenting' past which is not known to anyone, throws her into a vortex of melancholy. She hovers between her unsteady psyche and the emotional ties with her family.
💧
Avni Doshi's straight forward, harsh and non-sugary writing depicting flawed quirks of both Tara and Antara hits straight into the heart at times. The author deftly tackled myriad of complex emotions of the duo. It's indeed not an easy read, it was personally quite unsettling and disturbing read for me.
💧
Tara names her daughter Antara(Un- Tara) so as to undo what she had did in her life. But at last Antara's life carves out to be nothing different as Tara. They both have a thin line of love and deception between them as fragile as a brittle glass.
💧
Tara ruins her marital life with her unsteady behaviour and also makes her baby toddler suffer by running away from the house to an ashram with her daughter. There in the ashram, the whirlpool of circumstances faced by Antara creates a havoc in her life craving towards motherly love. But Tara remains nonchalant to the torments of her daughter divulging herself in spiritual activities. She suffers from loneliness and abandance at a very tender age. The disturbing, disheartened and despondent childhood thanks to the erratic nature of her mother gives rise to many unforeseen 'repurcussions' in her life.
💧
Yet, now Antara oblivious to the past, longs for the recovery of her mother when she suffers from Alzheimer's . She tries to bring back her memory in all possible ways. But In contrary she often feels quite envious of her mother who starts forgetting while leaving her with nothing less than harrowful tattered reminiscent pieces of their terrible past.
💧
The story was entirely narrated from POV of Antara. Antara's abhorrent , inconsistent and repugnant state of mind in the process of escaping from her own 'repenting' past which is not known to anyone, throws her into a vortex of melancholy. She hovers between her unsteady psyche and the emotional ties with her family.
💧
Avni Doshi's straight forward, harsh and non-sugary writing depicting flawed quirks of both Tara and Antara hits straight into the heart at times. The author deftly tackled myriad of complex emotions of the duo. It's indeed not an easy read, it was personally quite unsettling and disturbing read for me.
💧
Tara names her daughter Antara(Un- Tara) so as to undo what she had did in her life. But at last Antara's life carves out to be nothing different as Tara. They both have a thin line of love and deception between them as fragile as a brittle glass.
July 31, 2020
Aristotle once said and I quote, "For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors". Avni Doshi's 'Girl In White Cotton' is the epitome of pain and beauty ignited in the modern era of writing.
The amount of depth this novel shared cannot be measured.
Apart from the style of wording, this book gave me vibes of Rabindranath Tagore's writings and a fan of Rabindranath Tagore would surely agree.
The story revolves around a relationship between a Daughter; Antara and her mother; Tara whom situations made toxic. Being toxic is a state that can be controlled but given the absurd circumstances we fail to see the intoxicity and accept the poisonous Virtual-Reality.
Doshi conveyed this story in such a way that an arrow stakes right through one's heart after the novel is completed. This book is the definition of the oxymoron: beautifully-painful.
Before reading a book I always look for it's blurb and reviews on it. It was sad to see how few people gave it negatively marked comments. Seeing the delicacy of the plot and story-telling being ignored and the only thing which is considered is the toxic relationship breaks my heart. Because, it is heart rending to see how shallow damages are cared for more than for deep wounds.
An excellent read with great introspection over certain things. A must have for readers who consider deep stories more than light plots.
–Tiyasha Chaudhury.
Book: Girl In White Cotton.
Authored by: Avni Doshi ( @avnidoshi )
P-ISBN: 9789353571382
E-ISBN: 9789353571399
Published in India in 2019 by Fourth Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Thank you so much @avnidoshi and @harpercollinsin for sending me this beautiful book. I had a great pleasure reading it.
The amount of depth this novel shared cannot be measured.
Apart from the style of wording, this book gave me vibes of Rabindranath Tagore's writings and a fan of Rabindranath Tagore would surely agree.
The story revolves around a relationship between a Daughter; Antara and her mother; Tara whom situations made toxic. Being toxic is a state that can be controlled but given the absurd circumstances we fail to see the intoxicity and accept the poisonous Virtual-Reality.
Doshi conveyed this story in such a way that an arrow stakes right through one's heart after the novel is completed. This book is the definition of the oxymoron: beautifully-painful.
Before reading a book I always look for it's blurb and reviews on it. It was sad to see how few people gave it negatively marked comments. Seeing the delicacy of the plot and story-telling being ignored and the only thing which is considered is the toxic relationship breaks my heart. Because, it is heart rending to see how shallow damages are cared for more than for deep wounds.
An excellent read with great introspection over certain things. A must have for readers who consider deep stories more than light plots.
–Tiyasha Chaudhury.
Book: Girl In White Cotton.
Authored by: Avni Doshi ( @avnidoshi )
P-ISBN: 9789353571382
E-ISBN: 9789353571399
Published in India in 2019 by Fourth Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Thank you so much @avnidoshi and @harpercollinsin for sending me this beautiful book. I had a great pleasure reading it.
April 2, 2022
Maybe she does not remember because it never happened' - a complex layered book that views a mother daughter relationship and pschycology, starting at main POV Antara ' s mother onset of Alzheimers. Tara and Antara (Un tara) has never had a smooth relationship since her birth. An esoteric woman, Tara has gone through several eccentric phases in her life. Her marriage with Antara s father lasted meagrely and then she chose to be consort of a spiritual leader, leaving again to come back to domestication. This vacillation marked Antara s life, in ways that define her adult life.
.
She cant give up on Tara but at the sametime never forgets the turmoiled past. As the story moves in a detailed narrative from past to present and back, there are 4 other women who come out to me standing in the book - Kali mata ( Eve) another spiritual consort of Baba at Ashram, Antara s Nani, Antara s mother in law, Purvi, her friend and later her new born daughter. The distinctiveness and flow between these womens interactions I think is a subtle hint at women s equation in the contemporary world.
.
The human mind and psychology is a big, big draw in this book, the detail with which Antara notices the nuances of daily life, studies biology for her month and goes to represent it in her art is a big space for me to thing on.
.
The male characters in the book, Antara s husband, father and other 'Main' character which i wont mention I think pieces in the story rightly and for me again represents modern relationships starkly!
.
All I can tell you, I see why this book has been nominated for great awards as a debut book too and having heard Avni speak at a lit fest too, I know she s water to the thirsty hearts of mature, adult, modern writing fans! To my heart too! There is much much more to be said about the themes, sub themes and the vindictiveness expression of humanity in love via this book. My mind, expression and this space is too less for it, perhaps.
.
.
She cant give up on Tara but at the sametime never forgets the turmoiled past. As the story moves in a detailed narrative from past to present and back, there are 4 other women who come out to me standing in the book - Kali mata ( Eve) another spiritual consort of Baba at Ashram, Antara s Nani, Antara s mother in law, Purvi, her friend and later her new born daughter. The distinctiveness and flow between these womens interactions I think is a subtle hint at women s equation in the contemporary world.
.
The human mind and psychology is a big, big draw in this book, the detail with which Antara notices the nuances of daily life, studies biology for her month and goes to represent it in her art is a big space for me to thing on.
.
The male characters in the book, Antara s husband, father and other 'Main' character which i wont mention I think pieces in the story rightly and for me again represents modern relationships starkly!
.
All I can tell you, I see why this book has been nominated for great awards as a debut book too and having heard Avni speak at a lit fest too, I know she s water to the thirsty hearts of mature, adult, modern writing fans! To my heart too! There is much much more to be said about the themes, sub themes and the vindictiveness expression of humanity in love via this book. My mind, expression and this space is too less for it, perhaps.
.
October 19, 2021
I was browsing the shelves of Rachna Books when I stumbled upon this book. I had glimpsed it a few times on social media, and I saw that it had been nominated for a Booker prize too. The blurb seemed intriguing - a complicated relationship between a mother and daughter, and family-oriented fiction being my cup of tea, I bought it immediately.
The first few pages are interesting. The narration is good, and the language is also perfect - simple prose peppered with the occasional delicious metaphor or simile. The descriptions are also vivid. The story develops well too. The mother seems to be suffering from dementia, and the daughter is reluctantly taking care of her, despite their bitter past.
However, halfway through the book, my interest began to wane. The characterization was good with sufficient backstories, but the story, as such, wasn't going anywhere. Most importantly, I failed to connect with any of the characters. Characters having flaws is perfectly acceptable, but the characters in this book are so unpleasant. They do terrible things to each other, and I could not find any endearing quality in either of them that would make me want to root for them.
The trend, unfortunately, continues until the half-baked, unsatisfactory ending. The interpretation is left to the reader's imagination, but not in a good way. Many books have endings that make you think and still leave you relatively satisfied. But not this one.
The writing is excellent, and the editing is flawless. The descriptions are also very well done. But the story and characters leave a lot to be desired.
Another award-winning/nominated book, another disappointment.
The first few pages are interesting. The narration is good, and the language is also perfect - simple prose peppered with the occasional delicious metaphor or simile. The descriptions are also vivid. The story develops well too. The mother seems to be suffering from dementia, and the daughter is reluctantly taking care of her, despite their bitter past.
However, halfway through the book, my interest began to wane. The characterization was good with sufficient backstories, but the story, as such, wasn't going anywhere. Most importantly, I failed to connect with any of the characters. Characters having flaws is perfectly acceptable, but the characters in this book are so unpleasant. They do terrible things to each other, and I could not find any endearing quality in either of them that would make me want to root for them.
The trend, unfortunately, continues until the half-baked, unsatisfactory ending. The interpretation is left to the reader's imagination, but not in a good way. Many books have endings that make you think and still leave you relatively satisfied. But not this one.
The writing is excellent, and the editing is flawless. The descriptions are also very well done. But the story and characters leave a lot to be desired.
Another award-winning/nominated book, another disappointment.
January 16, 2020
This is not going to be an easy read for many: from the way the writing is structured, the interplay of characters and the manner in which plot points don’t emerge to ambush or ready readers towards a resolution. The narrative is entirely from the viewpoint of one protagonist – Antara and structured in a sparse ‘in your face’ word play that will leave readers gasping. Readers looking for syrupy family ties and rosy familial love with oodles of emotional drama and back stories of why the main protagonists are the way they are, will not be able to appreciate the way the mother daughter ties in this one is portrayed: frayed at the edges with traces of resentment and a lot of bottled up discomfort.
The narrative is an almost clinical look at the dynamics between Antara and her mother Tara, following the disclosure that the later is suffering the loss of memory. Various anecdotes come into the picture, as do certain backstories but one has to make do with the bare essentials that tease the reader for there are no explanations or rationale as to why Tara or Antara are the way they are to each other and the people around them.
Avni Doshi’s writing is not poetic or evocative but there is a searing quality to her expressions and the word play. It is definitely not the regular novel that tells you a great story: its uniqueness lies in how the story makes you react, in the way it is told – in bits and pieces that you try to put together only to change shape and form and structure.
The narrative is an almost clinical look at the dynamics between Antara and her mother Tara, following the disclosure that the later is suffering the loss of memory. Various anecdotes come into the picture, as do certain backstories but one has to make do with the bare essentials that tease the reader for there are no explanations or rationale as to why Tara or Antara are the way they are to each other and the people around them.
Avni Doshi’s writing is not poetic or evocative but there is a searing quality to her expressions and the word play. It is definitely not the regular novel that tells you a great story: its uniqueness lies in how the story makes you react, in the way it is told – in bits and pieces that you try to put together only to change shape and form and structure.
September 23, 2019
A literary masterpiece of a horrific tale about women who defy societal norms.. A narrative which questions the pristine mother - daughter relationship.. A story which underlines 'the grey zones' of familial relationships intertwined with love, respect, hatred, deception, betrayal, lies and incest.. A must - read for the new-age woman who are going to wonder what if "The apple does not fall far from the tree"..
.
📚 As truly mentioned on the cover pages .. Girl in White Cotton is a journey into shifting memories, altering identities and the subjective nature of truth. Tracing the fragile line between familial devotion and deception, Avni Doshi's mesmerizing first novel will surprise and unsettle you.
.
My Rating- 4.8 🌟/5
.
I would have loved a definite closure for Antara's story.
.
I am totally unsettled after the read .. I have a lot of questions going on in my mind.. and I guess that's what memorable books do to you.
.
I congratulate the author for her extraordinary first novel which is an exquisite work of art.
.
I think this one has to be going into your TBR 📚 list.. .
I thank the publisher HarperCollins India for the gifted copy.
.
All opinions are my own.. Don't miss out the full review on my book blog - https://bookstacaketea.wordpress.com/
.
📚 As truly mentioned on the cover pages .. Girl in White Cotton is a journey into shifting memories, altering identities and the subjective nature of truth. Tracing the fragile line between familial devotion and deception, Avni Doshi's mesmerizing first novel will surprise and unsettle you.
.
My Rating- 4.8 🌟/5
.
I would have loved a definite closure for Antara's story.
.
I am totally unsettled after the read .. I have a lot of questions going on in my mind.. and I guess that's what memorable books do to you.
.
I congratulate the author for her extraordinary first novel which is an exquisite work of art.
.
I think this one has to be going into your TBR 📚 list.. .
I thank the publisher HarperCollins India for the gifted copy.
.
All opinions are my own.. Don't miss out the full review on my book blog - https://bookstacaketea.wordpress.com/
May 18, 2021
3.5 stars, rounding up
This is a disturbing, frighteningly frank book. I have, admittedly, read few books on the starkness of inter-generational trauma (for personal reasons) but there was something compelling for much of the first half of this that kept me going. The prose cuts like a knife, and gleams with a strange poetry. There was a heaviness to the narrative, the disturbed and disturbing relationship mother Tara and daughter Antara (/Un-Tara) have, but it was of a kind that made its stakes evident.
As I read on, though, the cynicism that permeates this book became increasingly explicit, grating. Antara, the narrator, hates everyone - her parents (although admittedly, with fair reason), her friends, her husband, and eventually, her child. The unbreaking cycle of trauma, I suppose, lends itself well (?) to this sort of cynicism. But there is no light here, no lightness. Only invisibility, despair, disdain. And while it was deeply affective and troubling in a way I appreciate in fiction, ultimately, I was happier to be done reading this. Girl in White Cotton will certainly stay with me for a while - I'm just not sure if that's a particularly good thing.
This is a disturbing, frighteningly frank book. I have, admittedly, read few books on the starkness of inter-generational trauma (for personal reasons) but there was something compelling for much of the first half of this that kept me going. The prose cuts like a knife, and gleams with a strange poetry. There was a heaviness to the narrative, the disturbed and disturbing relationship mother Tara and daughter Antara (/Un-Tara) have, but it was of a kind that made its stakes evident.
As I read on, though, the cynicism that permeates this book became increasingly explicit, grating. Antara, the narrator, hates everyone - her parents (although admittedly, with fair reason), her friends, her husband, and eventually, her child. The unbreaking cycle of trauma, I suppose, lends itself well (?) to this sort of cynicism. But there is no light here, no lightness. Only invisibility, despair, disdain. And while it was deeply affective and troubling in a way I appreciate in fiction, ultimately, I was happier to be done reading this. Girl in White Cotton will certainly stay with me for a while - I'm just not sure if that's a particularly good thing.
October 12, 2020
Excellent at times. Sometimes it's too descriptive. Loved the fact that it is based in Pune - descriptions of German bakery, poona club, kayani, marzorin, the "ashram", Christmas in Pune was perfect. What's the deal with the pyramids? And the ending??
But I'm not sure how it made it to the Booker shortlist.
But I'm not sure how it made it to the Booker shortlist.
May 19, 2020
We spoke to Avni Doshi on our podcast 'Books and Beyond with Bound'.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4d8v...
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4d8v...
May 16, 2024
Sharp and crazy
November 17, 2021
لطيفة اشطا بس مجذبتنيش شوية
November 17, 2019
Girl in white cotton by avni doshi is a contemporary novel revolving around the life of Antara and her mother who is recently diagnosed with a disease that causes her to forget things about her life and dive into completely different worlds. But amidst it all they both have a very rough and a dark past that they are hiding from the world. Pick this up to find put how antaras quest to help her mother improve her health compels her to unravel their past and open up about her, witness a strange journey of Antara from fighting her battles and keeping up with the demons of their horrific and bizarre past, in this book.
I had a strange time surfing through this story,
The concept was very fresh and well executed.
The writing style was good and descriptive.
The narration is commendable, the story is narrated from antaras perspective, it also gives the reader a feel of reading a kind of a psychological novel, this is very rare and I hardly find this adaptation done by debut authors.
The plot was a mixture of flashback, parallel and chronological. The author still managed to keep a good hold over it.
The storyline was a mixture of themes related to family ties, societal pressure, superstitions, tennage problems, strangled relationships and a lot more. It's hard to believe that it's a debut novel.
The cover is beautiful and the title is pretty innovative.
The characterization is amazing, antaras character is very well developed, though I couldn't connect with her due to her strange ideologies I did sympathise for her most of the time and even hated her at times, it's very rare that you hate a character and still marvel over the magic of its characterization. A good information over Tara and Dilips character is provided in the story.
Talking about the storys pace, it's pretty slow paced however towards the end some scenes were quite sudden and rushed.
If you ask me to summarise this story in 1 word I'd say it's "HAUNTING" it's actually a story that will haunt you even after you've finished it.
I'd recommend this book if you like reading books based on the above mentioned themes.
MY RATING : 4/5
I had a strange time surfing through this story,
The concept was very fresh and well executed.
The writing style was good and descriptive.
The narration is commendable, the story is narrated from antaras perspective, it also gives the reader a feel of reading a kind of a psychological novel, this is very rare and I hardly find this adaptation done by debut authors.
The plot was a mixture of flashback, parallel and chronological. The author still managed to keep a good hold over it.
The storyline was a mixture of themes related to family ties, societal pressure, superstitions, tennage problems, strangled relationships and a lot more. It's hard to believe that it's a debut novel.
The cover is beautiful and the title is pretty innovative.
The characterization is amazing, antaras character is very well developed, though I couldn't connect with her due to her strange ideologies I did sympathise for her most of the time and even hated her at times, it's very rare that you hate a character and still marvel over the magic of its characterization. A good information over Tara and Dilips character is provided in the story.
Talking about the storys pace, it's pretty slow paced however towards the end some scenes were quite sudden and rushed.
If you ask me to summarise this story in 1 word I'd say it's "HAUNTING" it's actually a story that will haunt you even after you've finished it.
I'd recommend this book if you like reading books based on the above mentioned themes.
MY RATING : 4/5
May 17, 2021
Too dark. Non linear narrative. And people who don't live in India writing about India- gah no.
I mean I understand that the protagonist is affected by the stuff that happened around her in her childhood. Great topic, but the execution was not good.
Edited to add one more star and more opinions coz I feel the author has evoked the dark stuff and anger in me very efficiently.
The good
Author has etched the protagonist well. Hurt by the childhood neglect and abuse. The whole thing has affected her personality and future relationships as nicely shown.
The part where Antara has a baby and deals with the post partum is top notch. Well narrated, you can feel the stuff. I could relate to a lot of it as well.
The bad
Regular cliches make me sick. Like ashram-- baba-- place of abuse. Most authors that mention ashram and sadhus add that element of sexual exploitation there. And given the gazillion ashrams we have, I feel/hope that this isn't as rampant as made out by these books. And worse, we have Asharam bapu/dera sacha sauda that done harm to the whole concept.
The ugly
Unnecessary sexualization of stuff. Who feels 'wet between the legs' while talking to a doctor you have consulted just once? Or thinks of having sex with estranged biological father? Or has friends who finger them in a loo-- and stay friends with them after such transgression?
Poor facts- author has probably never lived in Pune. Besides The poona club, German bakery and the 'ashram' (very similar to osho but not named) there are no landmarks, no roads nothing mentioned. I find it hard to relate to such books (since I have some passing knowledge of the layout and geography of Pune)
The author travels from the Mumbai airport to Pune. Given the time line, its in the 2010s but yet they seem to be traveling by the old Mumbai Pune route (seeing the scenic Western Ghats) but for over two decades we have the express way which is not scenic.
The lady who is introduced to Indian spiritualism meets a Hare Krishna Follower who takes her to Brahma Temple Pushkar? Last I knew HK followers don't follow Brahma temple and all.
I mean I understand that the protagonist is affected by the stuff that happened around her in her childhood. Great topic, but the execution was not good.
Edited to add one more star and more opinions coz I feel the author has evoked the dark stuff and anger in me very efficiently.
The good
Author has etched the protagonist well. Hurt by the childhood neglect and abuse. The whole thing has affected her personality and future relationships as nicely shown.
The part where Antara has a baby and deals with the post partum is top notch. Well narrated, you can feel the stuff. I could relate to a lot of it as well.
The bad
Regular cliches make me sick. Like ashram-- baba-- place of abuse. Most authors that mention ashram and sadhus add that element of sexual exploitation there. And given the gazillion ashrams we have, I feel/hope that this isn't as rampant as made out by these books. And worse, we have Asharam bapu/dera sacha sauda that done harm to the whole concept.
The ugly
Unnecessary sexualization of stuff. Who feels 'wet between the legs' while talking to a doctor you have consulted just once? Or thinks of having sex with estranged biological father? Or has friends who finger them in a loo-- and stay friends with them after such transgression?
Poor facts- author has probably never lived in Pune. Besides The poona club, German bakery and the 'ashram' (very similar to osho but not named) there are no landmarks, no roads nothing mentioned. I find it hard to relate to such books (since I have some passing knowledge of the layout and geography of Pune)
The author travels from the Mumbai airport to Pune. Given the time line, its in the 2010s but yet they seem to be traveling by the old Mumbai Pune route (seeing the scenic Western Ghats) but for over two decades we have the express way which is not scenic.
The lady who is introduced to Indian spiritualism meets a Hare Krishna Follower who takes her to Brahma Temple Pushkar? Last I knew HK followers don't follow Brahma temple and all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 224 reviews