Sometimes, reading the translated version of a book while the original is accessible is not bad! You are better prepared then to take the intensity and the ferocity of the original version. I am pretty sure that is going to be my experience with ''One part woman'' when I get to read the original but here is a review of the English one ! With a disclaimer that I am not an experienced reviewer and any inadequacies are the fault of the reviewer and should not reflect on the book!
The story revolves around a childless couple living in a village , sometime early 1900s (I am not sure about the time period of the novel though there is a reference to cinema in a chapter). The story takes us through their life increasingly centred around their failure to beget a child. What begins as veiled references from neighbours grows to be a monster shadowing their love for each other. The travails of the couple to yield to the pressure by doing anything and everything possible ranges from silly to hilarious to touching ! The complete neglect of any mention of medical intervention probably speaks of the time as well as the cultural setting.
In all this travails, the couple's love for each other comes across very strong and refreshing. It is probably an unjustifiable bias that I carry but this love between them , expressed sometimes in M&B style, was a pleasant shock , given the time period and the societal background of the setting !
The story moves on to a delicate solution which the couple is forced to consider and the ending is about how they react to it - which is heart-wrenching! As a woman , I was torn between judging the woman harshly or empathizing with her. But what stays put is the husband's reaction ..
It is sad that there is controversy around this book based on a tradition that the author has researched on and uses it in his story. Though it cannot be denied that this gives momentum and a powerful end to the story, one cannot and should not undermine the rest of the book. The use of language or reference to certain customs, for instance, is unadulterated. There is no mask in emotions or words. The reader is challenged to take it raw as it comes and I think this is where some of the critics have a problem ?
The story revolves around a childless couple living in a village , sometime early 1900s (I am not sure about the time period of the novel though there is a reference to cinema in a chapter). The story takes us through their life increasingly centred around their failure to beget a child. What begins as veiled references from neighbours grows to be a monster shadowing their love for each other. The travails of the couple to yield to the pressure by doing anything and everything possible ranges from silly to hilarious to touching ! The complete neglect of any mention of medical intervention probably speaks of the time as well as the cultural setting.
In all this travails, the couple's love for each other comes across very strong and refreshing. It is probably an unjustifiable bias that I carry but this love between them , expressed sometimes in M&B style, was a pleasant shock , given the time period and the societal background of the setting !
The story moves on to a delicate solution which the couple is forced to consider and the ending is about how they react to it - which is heart-wrenching! As a woman , I was torn between judging the woman harshly or empathizing with her. But what stays put is the husband's reaction ..
It is sad that there is controversy around this book based on a tradition that the author has researched on and uses it in his story. Though it cannot be denied that this gives momentum and a powerful end to the story, one cannot and should not undermine the rest of the book. The use of language or reference to certain customs, for instance, is unadulterated. There is no mask in emotions or words. The reader is challenged to take it raw as it comes and I think this is where some of the critics have a problem ?
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