The Normal State of Mind by Susmita Bhattacharya Do the wlw end up together : Yes 8/10Dipali comes f

The Normal State of Mind by Susmita Bhattacharya

Do the wlw end up together : Yes

8/10

Dipali comes from a highly traditional family, but she got lucky with a caring husband; one who’s suddenly lost in the 1992 Mumbai religious riots. Now her family expects her to accept a joyless widowhood and her domineering brother is happy to consign her to watching over their ailing mother. Far away in Calcutta, Moushumi falls in love with a high society woman, a relationship that is not founded on equality but which teaches Moushumi exactly who she is: a lesbian. An unexpected friendship between the two gives each of them the power to defy the societal norms they’ve been raised with and the support to arrange their own lives. I really love novels like this, where a lesbian woman’s growth is paralleled with a straight woman defying expectations in her own way. I found quite interesting Dipali’s conversations with Moushumi where she compares how widows and lesbians are treated in Indian society, how both are on the outside for not having a man in their lives. I also really liked that for the most part Dipali and Moushumi’s stories are timeless, but woven in are occasional scenes that tie the novel to the ‘90s. There are references throughout to the religious violence across the country during this period as well as the arson of several movie theaters for playing a lesbian movie, which I’m relatively sure is supposed to reference Deepa Mehta’s Fire. To get back on track, the alternating perspectives played off of each other quite well and I’m glad that these two had each other to push towards a more empowered future. At times this book feels more like a narrative than a novel; the character’s emotions are explicitly spelled out on the page rather than detailed through their actions. It was a bit inconsistent because at other times Bhattacharya does a beautiful job giving so much life to the two women, especially in their scenes together. All in all, if you like women living their authentic lives, you’ll like this book.