Sukhmani Gandhi's The Shadow of the Dark Soul is an effective piece honestly showcasing the time we live in. It’s a bold initiative to bring a change in societal perception towards women as well as men.
Dedicated to Jyoti Singh, this novel unveiled the hypocrisy engrained everywhere and the whole idea of 'victim' being associated with women, thereby distant from its actual meaning.
Zayesha, the protagonist of the novel, is a journalist by profession and a character with whom every woman can instantly relate to. Her thoughts and queries are the same that pop up in many minds, for instance, the whole idea of separation of victims of sexual violence, thus debarring a particular population from living a normal life. The debate between good and evil was artistically put up as well. The heart-warming love story restored our faith in happy endings.
Coming to the title of the novel, it's ambiguously reflective of the mental impact left in the soul of an individual who suffered violence of any sort, at any time of his/her life. The shadows symbolize the bad memories that keep chasing the individual, like the scars that never heal. But despite everything, the human tendency to move on instils hope. The novel ends on a positive note with a powerful message that we must spread around: ‘Humanity is within us. Don’t search for it in other people. Just be human.’
The author took a laudable initiative of addressing the evils of our society, like marital rape, issues of identity, violence against women and men, and the bizarre idea that says 'men don't cry'. She gave a vivid image of reality, with a plethora of relative incidents.
I congratulate her as a young forerunner of change and recommend this book to everyone, for a brighter & better world that we can create together.
Dedicated to Jyoti Singh, this novel unveiled the hypocrisy engrained everywhere and the whole idea of 'victim' being associated with women, thereby distant from its actual meaning.
Zayesha, the protagonist of the novel, is a journalist by profession and a character with whom every woman can instantly relate to. Her thoughts and queries are the same that pop up in many minds, for instance, the whole idea of separation of victims of sexual violence, thus debarring a particular population from living a normal life. The debate between good and evil was artistically put up as well. The heart-warming love story restored our faith in happy endings.
Coming to the title of the novel, it's ambiguously reflective of the mental impact left in the soul of an individual who suffered violence of any sort, at any time of his/her life. The shadows symbolize the bad memories that keep chasing the individual, like the scars that never heal. But despite everything, the human tendency to move on instils hope. The novel ends on a positive note with a powerful message that we must spread around: ‘Humanity is within us. Don’t search for it in other people. Just be human.’
The author took a laudable initiative of addressing the evils of our society, like marital rape, issues of identity, violence against women and men, and the bizarre idea that says 'men don't cry'. She gave a vivid image of reality, with a plethora of relative incidents.
I congratulate her as a young forerunner of change and recommend this book to everyone, for a brighter & better world that we can create together.
No comments:
Post a Comment