Summer of Then by Rupleena Bose
Book: Summer of Then
Author: Rupleena Bose
Genre: Coming-of-Age, Novel
Published By: Penguin in May 2024
Page Count: 360
Book Review:
Summer of Then by Rupleena Bose is a debut novel that
strikes up your reading pose in just a few pages and lets you switch only after
you finish it. Reading this book felt like a cool breeze, that makes you shiver
enough to make the hair of your arms bristle but not cold enough for you to
wrap yourself in a blanket. Rupleena has exceptionally written about the
dilemma, guilt, shame, and hope a young woman in her late twenties experiences.
The constant urge to settle down on one path yet constantly negotiating between
family, career, and marriage, all the while being in search of her
individuality.
"I understand that everyone allots pain to a woman's destiny. It was like women doing their time. It made women ruthless about the ones living without pain."
This coming-of-age novel set in India of 2010, revolves
around a twenty-six-year-old woman who is trying to manage her career, love
life, marriage, family history, and sexual liberation. Contrary to the
protagonist’s ceaseless anti-moral actions, as a reader you would find a
likeness, even a defending nature towards her. The book explores the feeling of
being in a circle where everyone is doing some magnificent & popular work,
while you keep paddling to maintain buoyancy in that flow.
Expanded over 10 years of a woman’s life, the book honed
into the religious & political involvement in academia and thoroughly
discusses lifestyle in metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta,
Edinburgh, and Scotland.
Running away from an anti-feminist household, ending up in a big city with a temporary job and minimal savings, becoming a victim of a stifled marriage, falling into an equally unromantic adulterous relationship, and finding a sense of belonging in Edinburgh doing the things she loves, before returning to India because of visa and ending on just the beginning of 2020 pandemic’s formative anxiety. Reading this book is an experience, a deeper pertinent, and a broad reflection on today’s lifestyle.
"Culture is a fluid word, constantly adapting, flowing into the ocean of lived life. We escaped our hearts and our air by reading poetry and buying great artists books that leads us to places where we couldn't go."
About the Author: Doing her PhD in Urban Music from 90s Calcutta, Bose is now an Associate Professor at Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi. Her Non-Fiction film- 'You Don't Belong' won a National Film Award, she has co-written a non-fiction book 'In the Life of a Film Festival', and she has written several screenplays to date. Summer of Then is her Debut Novel.
External Links: GoodReads Review
IG Unboxing Reel
Comments
Post a Comment