Book description
What the Body Remembers takes place in Rawalpindi, in the Indian state of the Punjab, in 1937 amid the mourning and mounting tension that precedes partition. Satya (whose name means Truth) has failed to give her well-born respected husband, Sardarji, a child. Sardarji, without hesitation or consultation, has found himself…
Why read it?
2 authors picked What the Body Remembers as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
The vulnerability of both wives at the heart of this immersive novel squeezed my throat as I read. Both of them at the mercy of their fertility, I felt so much outrage for Satya, and I so wished I could jump into the pages and liberate Roop from the impossible situation she was plunged into.
It’s been over 20 years since I read this book, but I still think about it.
From Nana's list on The best books about complicated wives and mothers that I can’t stop thinking about.
There are only a few novels that I like to re-read, and this is one of them. Layered with descriptions of jarring political and sexual violence occurring amidst separatist tensions in 1937 in India, this narrative allows for the usually silenced (girls and women) to speak, through the voice of Roop. The complicated relationship between Roop and Satya (both wives of a rich landowner) is only one layer in this richly woven novel. Ancestral trauma, truth, silence, atonement, sacrifice, love, and memory, themes that continue to ripple and resonate for me.
From Michelle's list on The best books that explore ancestral trauma.
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