- Publisher : Mala Magesh
- Language : English
- Paperback : 422 pages
Two women separated by time but united by their agony. Two women full of love but devastated by the terms of their destinies.
The infertility of a woman is seen with disdain in our society. Women who couldn’t bear children are held responsible for ominous incidents. It is also said that a man strays when his wife could not give him his children. But tell me, Why have we endured this unfair practice?
Padma by Mala Mahesh is a bold story of two women – Padma and Naina – who are endowed with beauty, wealth, and intellect. But the only thing they are deprived of is children. In 20th Kerala, Padma was married to a loving husband, Seshdhari. But their childless state forces him into a second marriage to continue his bloodline. Padma unwillingly makes peace with the situation but for how long would she be able to fight against the patriarchy?
In present-day Mumbai, Naina has an amazing partner in Naveen. However, when their efforts to conceive fail, Naina looks for surrogacy and finds a suitable fit in Naveen’s colleague, Vinita. Vinita agrees to the plan but this arrangement brings in buried trauma and insecurities in Naina that challenge the peaceful status quo.
Mala has written a wonderful story in two separate timelines, connected by a painful issue. It is a story of maintaining the pride of womanhood and craving for motherhood. It is a story of deep-seated patriarchy and insecurities borne out of the stingy words of society. It is a story that reminds us how women have to bear the brunt of infertility while attempting to maintain their identities.
I loved the strong women in this book. In fact, I liked the portrayal of each character. Mala has a knack for weaving a genuinely vivid storyline that completely pulls in the reader and keeps them hooked until the very end. Be it Kerala or Mumbai or the intricacies of developments in human relations, each detail gets attention in the book and that precisely makes it a good read.
The cover is beautiful and the writing is breezy with no beating around the bush. It is certainly a meaningful tale that underlines the plight of women bringing out their inner demons and strengths equally. I recommend this book to all!
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