This book is steeped in specific Indian religious terminology, so much so that it will likely stymie readers unfamiliar with its lore. However, it deals with rampant ignorance melded with burgeoning scientific knowledge, actual supernatural occurrences and the superstitious terror that accompanies both, so it’s easy to understand the strangeness that is attacking this fictional landscape. And it starts with a truly gripping opening line…
While you sympathize with Kajal’s quest to resurrect her dead sister, it’s obvious that this will result in disaster and this reader wished she’d simply let her sister rest in peace. I recognize that her desire to bring back Lasya is deeply selfish in nature. Kajal and Lasya had no one but each other so Kajal keenly feels her loss. But that’s no reason to resurrect a poor creature who deserves to rest in peace—especially since the cost of failure is so dreadful.
Kajal’s grief is palpable as is her fierce determination to accomplish her task before the six-month period following Lasya’s death elapses and her sister comes back as a vengeful, malevolent ghost. Kajal is all prickly edges, sharp tongue and smart mind. But she’s living in an age when such qualities in a woman are viewed with suspicion and hostility. In spite of the foreign terms, the attacks on pert women are all too familiar, a grim reminder of the Salem witch hunts and medieval Inquisitional torture.
Don’t be put off by the initial chapters or their eerie words and phrases. This novel is worth struggling through if only so you learn whether Kajal succeeds in her ghastly quest.
While you sympathize with Kajal’s quest to resurrect her dead sister, it’s obvious that this will result in disaster and this reader wished she’d simply let her sister rest in peace. I recognize that her desire to bring back Lasya is deeply selfish in nature. Kajal and Lasya had no one but each other so Kajal keenly feels her loss. But that’s no reason to resurrect a poor creature who deserves to rest in peace—especially since the cost of failure is so dreadful.
Kajal’s grief is palpable as is her fierce determination to accomplish her task before the six-month period following Lasya’s death elapses and her sister comes back as a vengeful, malevolent ghost. Kajal is all prickly edges, sharp tongue and smart mind. But she’s living in an age when such qualities in a woman are viewed with suspicion and hostility. In spite of the foreign terms, the attacks on pert women are all too familiar, a grim reminder of the Salem witch hunts and medieval Inquisitional torture.
Don’t be put off by the initial chapters or their eerie words and phrases. This novel is worth struggling through if only so you learn whether Kajal succeeds in her ghastly quest.