From the back cover: Trapped for 15 years in the stranglehold of a dead marriage and soulless household domesticity, the beautiful, full-bodied and passionate Meera Patel depends on her memories and her flights of fantasy to soothe the aches that wrack her body…until one cataclysmic day in Mumbai, when she finally breaks free. Bold, brazen and defiant, Sita’s Curse looks at the hypocrisy of Indian society and tells the compelling story of a middle class Indian housewife’s urgent need for love, respect, acceptance – and sexual fulfillment.
What I expected: Simply put: feminist erotica. This is the first book whose book trailer I actually watched. And I had high expectations from it. I thought it would be bold and brazen; daring and defiant; eschewing the stereotype of an Indian “bahu” (wife) and looking, instead, at the woman – at her dreams and hopes; her fight for respect and acceptance in her new household; her flight from the cage that traps her.
What it is: C-grade thrash. Honestly, 50 Shades of Gray was literary manna compared to this.
We have Meera, an innocent village girl, who starts her sexscapade as a child with her twin Kartik, moves on to underage sex with her dance teacher, girl-on-girl sex with the daughter of her father’s associate, and then has sex with a stranger on a riverbank before she’s pushed into a loveless marriage with Mohan.
Now Mohan, despite trying really hard, just cannot get it up. So in between pleasuring herself, Meera has sex with their guruji, indulges in voyeuristic behavior by spying on her brother-in-law having sex with his wife, bangs the dance teacher in her colony, and then discovers the joys of internet porn. And on that “cataclysmic day in Mumbai”, she calls her chat room lover to a seedy hotel in Colaba where she discovers that maybe she is in love with the gigolo.
And if you’re wondering where Sita fits in all of this – you’re not alone. I have the same question. Apart from the fact that Meera played the role of Sita every year on Dusserha, Sita has nothing much to do in the book. Except to cringe at this gross misuse of her name.
By now I am sure you can surmise that you will have to hunt for the plot with a magnifying glass. The sex will not titillate you – it will disgust you. And feminists everywhere are most probably seething at having this book labelled “feminist erotica”.
Final verdict: Give this one a miss
lololol
Sob, sob, sob!
thanking my stars for not letting me get carried away 🙂
Lucky you. Seriously!
Uh oh. This sounds awful. I am surprised, this book seems to have decent even rave reviews everywhere else. Thanks for being honest about it.
I really don’t understand those rave…even good reviews! This one is not even worth the paper it’s printed on.
I understand all too well, the pressure to give good reviews for books that publishers give 🙁
Wow! Same sentiments! I ended up attending the book launch, and with my general disdain of Indian “authors”, I was there only to have a fun vino evening with some friends. The girl at the selling desk asked me if I would be buying the book, and I politely told her I am not a fan of Indian……….
When the lady started talking about her book and the journey to writing it, I was hooked. Yeah she speaks really well! So impressed was I, I ended up buying it!
But when I got home and started reading it, aaaaaaaaargh!!! Yes pls give this one a miss!!
aaaaarh means