Rosha

by Vishal Bhandari

With the perilous circumstances prevailing in Afghanistan, Rosha is made to surrender her nubile self as a child-bride to someone as old as her father. She is forcefully exiled to Saudi Arabia to serve her wealthy master and become a part of his populous harem. Such a drastic turn could have meant to be a dead-end to Rosha's dreams and aspirations. But she chooses to struggle and her pursuit for answers takes her through continents, on a journey, on which she finds answers to most of her questions. She had left her nation as a slave and after being applauded as a hero elsewhere, she still longs to return to her land with respect and dignity that she and many like her deserve.

222 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 2010

Reviews

[Nitya Iyer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I often take offense when male authors are lauded for writing female characters well, but this book is a prime example of an author who desperately wanted to create a strong female protagonist who falls painfully flat. Rosha seems to be smart and articulate, saying all the right things to put her on the path to freedom, but when it actually comes down to her actions, she behaves with incredibly docility, making her some sort of twisted male fantasy of a lady in the street and a freak in the bed. Not impressed.

[Divya Jain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book and story. The only lacking for me was Rosha's ignorance/unawareness to what she was delivering.
Overall, the book made me wonder why the book is not famous yet.