Sid reviewed Women Who Misbehave by Sayantani Dasgupta
Review of 'Women Who Misbehave' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Explicit violence and discrimination against women are abundant in discourses about Patriarchy. But a sly way in which Patriarchy subdues women is by burdening them with expectations to be pure, gentle, forgiving, docile, and non-violent. This is often louder in progressive spaces - "Don't you have a mother and sisters at home?" is a common insult pointed at someone who misbehaves with women (Women deserve respect because they are someone's mother or sister). Many of the Women's day wishes singularly praise the role of women as mothers - caring, gentle, nursing, warm, lovely.
In Sayantani's stories, it is refreshing to see women who don't give a flying f about the burden of expectations to be good. They don't conform. They hurt and get hurt. They step out of line, not always to stand up to injustice, sometimes because they are selfish. Women who are willing to screw their friend's …
Explicit violence and discrimination against women are abundant in discourses about Patriarchy. But a sly way in which Patriarchy subdues women is by burdening them with expectations to be pure, gentle, forgiving, docile, and non-violent. This is often louder in progressive spaces - "Don't you have a mother and sisters at home?" is a common insult pointed at someone who misbehaves with women (Women deserve respect because they are someone's mother or sister). Many of the Women's day wishes singularly praise the role of women as mothers - caring, gentle, nursing, warm, lovely.
In Sayantani's stories, it is refreshing to see women who don't give a flying f about the burden of expectations to be good. They don't conform. They hurt and get hurt. They step out of line, not always to stand up to injustice, sometimes because they are selfish. Women who are willing to screw their friend's life out of jealousy, women who are capable of killing their family in cold blood, and even a woman who was a literal Nazi. These are women who were put on a pedestal, and expected to behave like angels, reclaiming their humanity.
Lovely images - like little Binu at her in-law's place, fighting loneliness through books at the enormous library that she is asked to stay away from - and unsettling ones - like Shaaji in her mother's peach print Saree watching her entire family die after poisoning them - will remain with me for some time.