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Men and women have always been governed by different ‘rules’, in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Women exist in relation to men, as mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters. An unspoken code of conduct determines how we can behave and be. In our society, patriarchy weighs heavily on women who still find themselves to be the second sex in almost every sphere of life. ‘The Mad Women’s Ball’ by Victoria Mas explores how women are oppressed and deemed ‘mad’ if and when they don’t fit into societal ideals. I think we should all read this book to understand what our society has done and still does to strong-willed women, and how women are considered misfits if they aren’t subservient. The book is based on events in 19th-century Paris—the atrocities women endured in the Salpêtrière 200 years ago where voyeurism was often masked as medical treatment. The critically acclaimed French historical fiction novel narrates the mistreatment and dehumanization of women considered ‘mad’ and confined within a women’s asylum. The Salpêtrière is a dumping ground of sorts for women ‘who disturb the peace’, for those who have an opinion, or those who don’t fit into the molds crafted by men. Eugénie Cléry is a young woman with a mind of her own. She’s courageous, witty, and outspoken. This doesn’t sit well with her father who believes it’s not appropriate for women to be vocal and extroverted. Then the 17-year-old tells her grandmother, whom she loves dearly and believes is loved equally in return, that she can talk to ghosts. She even helps her grandmother find a necklace that the old lady had presumed was lost with the help of her grandfather. But Eugénie is tricked and then dragged to the Salpêtrière by her father. Her brother Théophile accompanies his father but doesn’t want his sister to be confined at the asylum. However, he’s unable to speak up and save her. At the Salpêtrière, Geneviéve, a matron, soon realizes Eugénie shouldn’t be there. Though initially skeptical of her gifts, the matron believes in Eugénie after she delivers a message from Geneviéve’s dead sister, Blandine, that ends up being true.  From there on, the matron wonders if Professor Charcot, the doctor who claims to only lock the ‘genuine hysterics’ at the asylum, is in fact as noble as he appears to be. She also comes up with a plan to free Eugénie. The Mad Women’s Ball reads like a thriller though the message it conveys is profound. Your heart aches for the characters, many of whom have been betrayed and exploited by men they have trusted. Despite the supernatural aspect of the story, it’s a book that will urge people to stand up for what’s right and try to give others the benefit of doubt, rather than judging and mocking what we can’t understand. Three and a half stars Fiction The Mad Women’s Ball Victoria Mas Translated from the French by Frank Wynne Published: 2019 Publisher: Transworld Publishers Pages: 210, Paperback  

A good thriller is all I need when I want to forget what’s happening around me. It takes my mind away from things and consumes me in a way that makes the world vanish. It’s the best feeling. Here, I recommend three of my favorites. These are the ones that I keep thinking about even if it’s been a while since I read them. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides A rising artist, Alicia Berenson, gets convicted of murdering her fashion-photographer husband. But after shooting him in the head five times, she stops speaking. She is taken to a secure psychiatric unit but no medication or treatment can make her talk. Enter Theo Faber, a London-based psychotherapist, who is obsessed with Alicia as he has spent two decades in therapy himself, trying to overcome the trauma of a cruel father. What really happened and can Theo help Alicia? The narrative switches between Alicia’s journal entries and Theo and keeps you on the edge. It has many plot twists and leaves you guessing. Just when you believe one thing is true, you are forced to question it. Michaelides, a writer of screenplays, makes the story come alive before your eyes. A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena  Karen and Tom have been married for two years, following a whirlwind romance. Then, Karen gets into an accident in a part of town that she never goes to. There has been a murder nearby. The police think she killed the man and fled. At the hospital, the last thing Karen remembers is that she was preparing dinner and waiting for her husband to come home. Each of the characters recollects the night’s events as they try to piece together what might have happened. So, we see the story unravel through different perspectives. Lapena is good at creating tension and ‘A Stranger in the House’ is an eerie story. It’s a psychological thriller that delves into a ‘perfect’ relationship and the secret the couple keeps from each other in order to maintain that façade. Lapena’s writing is a bit trope heavy but you’ll enjoy her stories while they last. No Exit by Taylor Adams College student Darby Throne is on her way home to see her sick mother. She gets stranded at a highway rest stop in Colorado because of a blizzard. There are four other people around her, and there’s no cell phone signal. Then, she sees a little girl locked at the back of a van, inside an animal crate. She finds out who the van belongs to and is intent on saving the child. But the kidnapper finds out she has seen the girl and then her life is on the line too. The story takes a while to pick up but the tension is palpable. This is easily the best thriller you will read. It’s insane and creepy and will make your heart race.

I love Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s works. I’ve read most of her books. Perhaps all, I would dare to say, but I’m not sure because she’s written over 20 books. I’ve reread a couple, with ‘Palace of Illusions’ being one of my absolute favorites. Palace of Illusions, followed by ‘One Amazing Thing’, solidified Divakaruni’s place among great writers. Her latest release, ‘Independence’, tells the story of the birth of modern India. In August 1949, the demand for a separate Islamic nation by Muhammad Ali Jinnah-led Muslim League led to the Direct Action Day. Riots by the two communal groups led to a bloodbath in Kolkata and its effects spread to other places as well. Partition is India’s political legacy but it was horrifying and survivors can’t even begin to describe the terror. Independence is set during that troubling time. It’s a fictional story about the Gangulys of Ranipur. On Jinnah’s Direct Action Day, which is also known as the 1946 Calcutta Killings, Nabakumar, a kind-hearted doctor, rushes to his clinic where the injured are pouring in. He goes out to the street, amid gunfire, to drag in a dying patient and is hit by a bullet. He doesn’t survive. His family’s life is forever changed but linked inextricably by the tragedy. Nabakumar’s three daughters—Deepa, Jamini, and Priya—have never seen eye-to-eye but they find themselves risking their lives for one another. Deepa falls in love with Raza, the son of her father’s Muslim colleague. Jamini and Priya are in love with Amit, the son of Nabakumar’s best friend, Somnath Chowdhury. But Priya wants to be a doctor. At the time, colleges in India, especially medical colleges, were a hostile place for women. After being rejected, with Somnath’s help, she decides to go to America. Amit, who has always been in love with Priya, feels cheated. Jamini sees this as the perfect opportunity to win over Amit. Divakaruni’s writing style makes you empathize with the characters. Even Jamini, who at times seems malicious, manages to find a place in your heart. You are able to justify her actions. Bina, the girls’ mother, who wallows in her grief after her husband passes away, comes across as callous. But then she’s also a woman who has done the best she could to support her family—weaving blankets to supplement her husband’s meager income (as he’s always treating patients for free). There’s a lot to unpack in this book. Set against a disturbing backdrop, the story of sisterhood and nationhood leaves a lasting impression. But the ending is predictable. You get a sense of where the story is headed less than halfway through the book. In some ways, it reminds you of one of the many Bollywood movies you have watched over the years. But the narrative gets under your skin as you are made to think of the fact that there’s no length people won’t go to for love. Three stars Fiction Independence Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Published: 2022 Publisher: Harper Collins Pages: 285, Hardcover

Several years back, I read ‘Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal. Though it was Jaswal’s third novel it was my first time reading her. I was a little hesitant about picking it up at first since I tend to carry around the book I’m reading, often taking it to work as well. But I loved it. It wasn’t a light, fluffy read as you might assume by the title. It was a moving story of desire and female friendships. So naturally, when I came across ‘The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters’ I didn’t have to even read the blurb before deciding to buy it. I must say I was slightly disappointed by this one, given I had such high expectations going into it. It’s a story about three sisters—Rajni, Jezmeen, and Shirina—who are on a pilgrimage in India following the death of their mother. The British-born Punjabi sisters are carrying out their mother’s last wish. The sisters have never been close but the trip forces them to be together in a way they have never been before. Every sister, however, is running away from or towards something when agreeing to go on a trip to India. Rajni’s teenage son has dropped a bombshell on her and she doesn’t know how to handle it. Jezmeen, the middle child, is a struggling actress whom everyone has been mocking after an incident at a restaurant went viral. Shirina, the youngest one, is having problems in her marriage. A meddling mother-in-law is making matters worse. The story explores the messy dynamics of relationships and family life. It examines the lengths we are willing to go to for our loved ones and to protect what means a lot to us—whether it be our name or family. There’s a lot to unpack in this book but the only problem is that it feels like a Bollywood movie that you’ve watched countless times already. There are some laugh-out-loud moments and overall, the book is a nice escape from the humdrum of daily life. Trigger warnings though, there are a lot of mentions of forced abortion, violence against women, assisted suicide, and overbearing mothers-in-law. On a lighter note, don’t read it when you are hungry because all the talk about food will make it even worse and you’ll be left craving for things you have no way of getting your hands on, especially if you are reading the book late at night. Three-and-a-half stars Fiction The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters Balli Kaur Jaswal Published: 2019 Publisher: Harper Collins Pages: 320, Paperback

‘The Woman in the Purple Skirt’ by Natsuko Imamura was the first book I picked up this year. It was a slim volume. I thought I would finish it in a day or two and be able to tick a book off my GoodReads reading challenge very early into the new year. But the content is heavy, requiring time to mull over. It took me a week to finally finish the book. It wasn’t a great story but it was fascinating. The Woman in the Purple Skirt is a story about a woman who stalks someone, in hopes of striking up a friendship with her. At the heart of the novel is the desire for connection. Narrated in the first person by a person who calls herself the woman in the yellow cardigan, she reveals little about herself until the end of the story. It lends an element of mystery to the novel. The woman in the yellow cardigan lives close to the woman in the purple skirt and notices everything about her—from the fact that she doesn’t seem to hold down a job for too long or that she regularly enjoys eating a cream bun at the park. The story starts innocently enough but soon takes on a more ominous tone. As the narrator talks about waiting for the ‘woman in the purple skirt’ at the bus stop and in dark alleys, you stop empathizing with the character and become scared of her. The narrator’s intentions aren’t very clear, one moment she seems harmless and the other moment you are unsure if she is just lonely or if her motives are driven by something far more sinister. As the book progresses, you realize the narrator is someone the woman in the purple skirt knows, and that sends a chill down your spine. You wonder how often someone doesn’t realize he or she is being watched. The novel is reminiscent of Sayaka Murata’s ‘Convenience Store Woman’, a story about a woman who is comfortable working at a convenience store and has no society-fed ambitions in life. But Murata’s protagonist is far more likable than Imamura’s main character. However, Imamura has crafted a unique story, steering clear of all clichés and tropes. The Woman in the Purple Skirt is a bizarre story that will have you wondering what just happened more than a couple of times. But the chapters are short so that makes the story easy to follow. It’s largely a story about obsession and how it can lead to one’s unraveling in the worst possible way. And though it’s an apolitical novel, there are references to Japan’s culture and economy that add another layer to the story. Three stars Fiction The Woman in the Purple Skirt Natsuko Imamura Translated by Lucy North Published: 2021 Publisher: Penguin Books Pages: 224, Paperback    

You’re generally a dog person or a cat person. Very rarely, are you both. I’m biased toward dogs, having always had a pet or two while growing up. Cats used to scare me. Something about the way they moved their bodies sent a shiver down my spine. Then a friend got a cat and I was forced to make friends with her, and even follow her (the cat) on Instagram. Yes, the cat has a separate Instagram account. That might not surprise many people these days as most pets seem to have social media accounts with their humans as managers. But I was in shock for quite a while—I was following a cat. Worse, the cat wasn’t even following me. My friend told me cats were easier to care for—they didn’t require as much attention as dogs, kept pretty much to themselves, and were cleaner too. I was intrigued. Not so much as to get a cat myself but enough to read books where cats made regular appearances or were central characters. I have to admit they were fun, and reading such books has now made me less scared of cats. ‘She and Her Cat’ by Makoto Shinkai is a series of interconnected short stories about the connection between people and their pets as well as people themselves. There’s a devoted cat named Chobi who wills his young owner to end a faltering relationship that’s causing her much anguish. There’s a spirited young cat who grows up under the care of a gifted artist who misunderstands her boss’ enthusiasm for her paintings. Cookie, a kitten, hatches a plan to persuade her reclusive owner to go outside after the death of her friend. Then, finally, there’s a woman who has dedicated her life to caring for others. She learns an invaluable lesson in independence from the feral cat that replaces her wise old dog. These vignettes capture the cat’s complex thoughts, emotions, and behavior with such clarity that you are left marveling at how they can be great companions while being so fiercely independent. Since the narration goes back and forth between the cats and humans, it feels really refreshing. You don’t have to love cats to fall in love with this book. There’s a lot of wisdom and warmth in these stories. My only complaint is that the stories were too short and sometimes you didn’t get to know the characters very well. Otherwise, She and Her Cat is a comforting read that’s just right for the weekend. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60049848-she-and-her-cat Four stars She and Her Cat Makoto Shinkai & Naruki Nagakawa Translated into English by Ginny Tapley Takemori Published: 2022 Publisher: Atria Books Pages: 180, Hardcover

I don’t remember the last time I laughed so hard while reading a book. ‘Finlay Donovan is Killing It’ by Elle Cosimano made me giggle and snort. It’s really not a good idea to read this book at work or in public spaces. People will look at you like you’ve lost it. And you very well might have since Cosimano’s writing is witty and sharp making Finlay come alive right before your eyes. I read this book at the beginning of January and I’m still thinking about it. I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel—Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead—the premise of which was set at the end of the first book. I’m so happy that the third part of what is now a series—Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun—was just released on the last day of January this year. Even if the books are ten percent as good as Finlay Donovan is Killing It, I know I’m in for a rollicking ride. Finlay Donovan is Killing It starts with Finlay being overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel over lunch with her agent. Only, she’s mistaken for a contract killer and hired to kill someone. Finlay isn’t a murderer and has no intentions of actually killing someone but she is intrigued. So, she goes to meet the man she’s supposed to get rid of and, somehow, by the end of their meeting, the man ends up dead. In Finlay’s garage. To make things worse, Finlay has to submit the draft of her book to her agent. Else she could lose the contract and, as a single mom, she can’t afford that. Her husband and his partner are already vying for the sole custody of her daughter, claiming she’s an unfit parent. She desperately wants to be able to give her daughter the things she needs and wants. Desperate, she fictionalized the truth and hands in the draft. Her agent and editor love it and they want her to work on the story. But her book could be all the evidence the police need to put her behind bars. A great thing about the book, besides the story obviously, is that it has carefully crafted characters that add different dimensions to the plot. Cosimano has fleshed them out really well. Finlay’s nanny Vero adds a lot of spunk to the story. She’s the yin to Finlay’s yang. She balances things out and her laid-back attitude is something you wish you could emulate. Vero is also the friend everyone will wish they had. There are other interesting characters like Finlay’s four-year-old daughter, Delia, and her sister Georgia, who is a cop and hasn’t been on a date in 10 years. All in all, the eclectic mix of characters coupled with a great story will keep you hooked till the very end. Four and a half stars Finlay Donovan is Killing It Elle Cosimano Published: 2021 Publisher: Headline Review Pages: 359, Paperback https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53138099-finlay-donovan-is-killing-it

I was excited about Lucy Foley’s latest novel ‘The Paris Apartment’ as I had loved ‘The Guest List’. The book had an Agatha Christie vibe to it and was outlandish and ominous at the same time. Narrated from six different POVs, the story was fast-paced and gripping. Foley gave me a much-needed break from reality. I desperately wanted her to tell me another story. I wanted to be under the same spell. The Paris Apartment is about a journalist who mysteriously disappears from an apartment in Paris. His sister then arrives on the scene and starts poking around. It sounds like an engaging plot, and it’s not bad at all. It’s just that my expectations were sky-high after reading The Guest List. Most of the reviews on the GoodReads app say the same thing. Readers have liked The Paris Apartment a lot less than Foley’s other two books—The Guest List and ‘The Hunting Party’. In the book, we are introduced to Jess, who is lonely, and she’s broke. So, she asks her half-brother Ben if she can crash with him in order to get her life together. Surely, things will be better in Paris, she thinks. When she lands there from London, she finds a nice apartment that she’s not sure how Ben could have afforded in a journalist’s salary. But Ben’s not there. He wouldn’t have just deserted her like that. She knows something is wrong. She starts wondering if the other people in the apartment building know more than they are letting on about Ben’s disappearance. Everyone appears mysterious and each of them seems to have a motive. The more Jess starts digging around, the more suspicious she becomes that the neighbors are involved in something they want to hide. She repeatedly puts herself in harm’s way as someone isn’t happy with all the questions she’s asking. The Paris Apartment is dark and unsettling but there’s nothing new here for thriller and murder mystery lovers. It’s a classic locked-room mystery. It’s just that there’s no sense of urgency or claustrophobia which is what makes stories like these menacing. The pacing is also a bit slow. Foley, while trying to flesh out her characters, has sort of dragged on the plot. But a respite comes in the form of short chapters and the book does take off in the second half. All in all, it’s not a great book but you can pick it up when you want something light to read. Three stars Fiction The Paris Apartment Lucy Foley Published: 2022 Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers Pages: 410, Paperback