Title: Sita’s Curse
Author: Sreemoyee Piu Kundu
Plot: A beautiful young
girl from a village in Gujarat, Meera has barely come to terms with the death
of her twin brother, when she is married off to a stranger in Mumbai. The groom
seems aloof from the start, and Meera realizes that she is stuck in a loveless
marriage that fails to satisfy her desires and longings. She meets several
people through the years, though she fails to strike a bond with anyone.
Finally, a rainy, flooded day in Mumbai changes her life.
Review: I’m sorry if the
plot seems so short and incomplete, but that’s all there really is to it. I’ll
be honest here: The title of the book and the blurb misled me into thinking
that this was a feminist story – a woman breaking free of all the oppression
around her. Only much later did I realize that the genre was erotica but even
then, I had high expectations. This book, sadly, doesn’t really fall into any
of those categories.
Broadly
speaking, this seems like the screenplay of a C grade Hindi movie, like the
ones that get screened in shady movie halls in the corner of a town or village.
The heroine Meera is immensely unlikeable, as she cruises through the wafer
thin storyline, her pallu slipping all the time, revealing her perky assets, ‘like
the ones foreigners have’.
Meera
is so beautiful that she has the men of the colony thronging the streets when
she walks. Even the gigolo ends up getting smitten by her. Unfortunately, she
is just as obsessed with herself and comes across as callous and unscrupulous.
At
the risk of sounding like a prude, I’m going to say that this novel was
actually disgusting for me. After a point, you get tired of reading about all
the sex Meera has (which is quite boring) and just want the story to move on. And
she does get a lot of action with practically everyone; no one is spared, not
her brother, her cousin, her dance teacher, her second dance teacher, the
family Guruji etc.
There
are also some cringe-worthy conversations with her Mother, Mother in law and
her husband, the bra salesman. Among all these, there are a few digs at the
hypocritical Indian society, but by then you are just tired of hearing about
how much she loves chest hair on men. Eww.
The
title of the book is surprising, since other than the fact that she played Sita
at Dussehra every year in her village, there is no relation between the plot
and the title. At least there aren’t any typos or grammatical mistakes.
Verdict: By now, you must
have a pretty good idea about what to expect from the book. You are free to
give it a try, of course, but my recommendation would be to stay away. I’m sure
you’ll find several other options if you want either erotica or feminism which
are miles better than this tiring book.
This review is a part of the biggest Book
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23 comments
aargh i should have read your review before buying the book. I read some parts of it and i thought i was going mad...turns out the author is nuts..
ReplyDeleteOh dear, you bought the book?? I can imagine how angry you must be!
DeleteThank heavens, I haven't read this book. I don't plan to either. It seems like a waste of time.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly is, Rachna. There are a lot of great books you could read in the same time.
DeleteThank you for the honest review. Doesn't sound like my cup of tea at all. ♥
ReplyDeleteNot mine either!!
DeleteThanks a lot for the review! Thank God I didnt buy!!! No plans too...... :)
ReplyDeleteYou're right, it's better to stay away!
DeleteOh dear, this definitely sounds like one I'd like to avoid! Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, Laurel, avoid at all costs!
DeleteI will avoid this one. Most of the reviews have not been favorable at all!
ReplyDeleteThat's right, pixie.But there are some who've really liked it. To each his/her own, I guess :).
ReplyDeleteNow that's a really honest review. I haven't read the book yet, but have heard so much about it, somehow I am curious to know how bad it can be!! :)
ReplyDeleteHa ha, just remember, curiosity killed the cat!!
DeleteOk I am sorry for your pain, but the review had me laughing out loud. Your descriptions sound far more entertaining than the original story :D Great job with the review! And thanks for saving me the trouble of picking out the book ;)
ReplyDeleteGlad you found the review entertaining, because the book certainly isn't!!
DeleteToday only, I was reading about this book & an interview of the author....thought would try it out..
ReplyDeleteBut, thanks for the review...now I'll think some more.. :)
Yes, feminist erotica in India sounds path breaking, but this book is far from it!
DeleteHey Fab, just wanted to check what do i need to do once I have filled the form for this book review thing on Blogadda. Is there any other step or now its completely upto them?
ReplyDeleteThat's all you need to do. They'll usually send you mailers whenever a book is available for review and then you can go and apply for it if you're interested. It's simple enough :)
Deleteah, ok. thanks fab for clearing it out for me :D
ReplyDeleteOh oh.. the book is waiting on my bookshelf and I don't intend to read it at all. Thankfully, I had not bought it.
ReplyDeleteI'd recommend reading something else, it's a better use of your time!
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