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A review by leahtylerthewriter
Moth by Melody Razak
"India was many complexities of tribe and dialect and ritual woven together, an inextricable fabric of pulsating life. How could anyone put borders on that?"
Moth zeros in on a complex time in India's history: the late 1940s during independence from British rule coinciding with the partition of Pakistan under the All India Muslim League. I do not know enough about the politics or religion to speak intelligently. If I read 5 more books set in this time and place, I might be able to string a sentence together. My thoughts on the book focus on storytelling and characterization. Both were superb.
Alma is 14 and anticipating her wedding. Although her parents are educated, her father progressive and her mother operating with a degree of autonomy, married is the safest place in a land where females who are raped kill themselves to maintain familial honor. And it is nearly impossible to not be raped.
The infighting between religious factions takes an unconscionable toll on the female population that was exceptionally difficult to read about. Razak was brilliant to have used a progressive family to journey through this experience, providing home as a necessary balance to the proliferating injustices.
The prose was lyrical and courageous, championing Alma's father for his dedication to seeing women as human beings. But Razak did not shy away from depicting the downside of a non-misogynistic patriarch during a time of widespread violence either. Complexity and nuance, yes please! This is but one example of many.
But this book is a gut punch. As was this time in history. 93 dead women with babies in a well. At times it was hard to keep going and then I was stopped in my tracks by this sentence:
"The litany of names starts off as a 5-minute bulletin. By the time it comes around to the first week of November there will be 1400 daily messages of girls lost and found, using up to 3 hours of airtime."
It is for those 1400 A DAY that these stories must be shared and retold. Razak has woven together a compelling and (situationally) palatable vehicle with which to travel through a heart-wrenching time in history.
Moth zeros in on a complex time in India's history: the late 1940s during independence from British rule coinciding with the partition of Pakistan under the All India Muslim League. I do not know enough about the politics or religion to speak intelligently. If I read 5 more books set in this time and place, I might be able to string a sentence together. My thoughts on the book focus on storytelling and characterization. Both were superb.
Alma is 14 and anticipating her wedding. Although her parents are educated, her father progressive and her mother operating with a degree of autonomy, married is the safest place in a land where females who are raped kill themselves to maintain familial honor. And it is nearly impossible to not be raped.
The infighting between religious factions takes an unconscionable toll on the female population that was exceptionally difficult to read about. Razak was brilliant to have used a progressive family to journey through this experience, providing home as a necessary balance to the proliferating injustices.
The prose was lyrical and courageous, championing Alma's father for his dedication to seeing women as human beings. But Razak did not shy away from depicting the downside of a non-misogynistic patriarch during a time of widespread violence either. Complexity and nuance, yes please! This is but one example of many.
But this book is a gut punch. As was this time in history. 93 dead women with babies in a well. At times it was hard to keep going and then I was stopped in my tracks by this sentence:
"The litany of names starts off as a 5-minute bulletin. By the time it comes around to the first week of November there will be 1400 daily messages of girls lost and found, using up to 3 hours of airtime."
It is for those 1400 A DAY that these stories must be shared and retold. Razak has woven together a compelling and (situationally) palatable vehicle with which to travel through a heart-wrenching time in history.