Librería Samer Atenea
Librería Aciertas (Toledo)
Kálamo Books
Librería Perelló (Valencia)
Librería Elías (Asturias)
Donde los libros
Librería Kolima (Madrid)
Librería Proteo (Málaga)
DeScriPtionWhen well-known women’s rights activist Vasanth Kannabiran was growingup in the 1950s, grandmothers and aunts shared many real-life storiesabout ’wives, widows and whores’ with her. These seemingly disconnectedanecdotes haunted Kannabiran, eventually revealing the pattern of women’slived realities in the early twentieth century and inspiring her to write Pankaja,her debut novel.In Pankaja, Kannabiran paints a vivid portrait of what it meant to be anupper-caste Hindu woman in India at the time. Pankaja’s life and the lives ofher women friends and family members are all shaped by the institution ofmarriage; limited by the norm of wifely duty. Pankaja’s mother Rajamma facesundue criticism from society after she is widowed. Pankaja’s sister Pattamma,who is widowed at a young age is branded a bad omen and shunned at socialoccasions. When Kannamma, who belongs to a Brahmin family, ends herunhappy marriage and goes to live with a low-caste mridangam player, herfamily disowns her and the entire community condemns her. The individualstories of these women converge and diverge as they claim the right to theirown lives.Pankaja places family life under the microscope, presenting us with a visionof unflinching honesty. Laced with insights about marriage, widowhood andsexuality, it peels back history to reveal the inner workings of a casteist,patriarchal society. Wise and emotionally astute, this novel is an engrossingand moving read.
