Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal Reviewed By Varsha M Kaushik (Bangalore)
I've always been a Pride and Prejudice fan. Right from the time I read the original Jane Austen edition and the time I watched Mr.Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet battle it out on screen in the gorgeous 2005 adaptation! So, basically I'm obsessed with P&P! When I first read the synopsis of this book, I knew I HAD TO BUY IT at any cost! And my dad gifted me this book cause I did well on an exam, and man, am I glad he did that!
There are several things I loved about the book!
First, all of the references to Indian and Pakistani culture. At the end of the day, we share similar cultures in terms of our language, our cuisines, our expressions and the type of people we surround ourselves with. It was so easy to love this beautiful re-telling because of the wonderful setting that it was based in! I found myself giggling at every use of the language that I'm so familiar with, and the witty jokes on mainstream South Asian, particularly Indian and Pakistani culture really had me go 'Daaamnnnn.'
There are several things I loved about the book!
First, all of the references to Indian and Pakistani culture. At the end of the day, we share similar cultures in terms of our language, our cuisines, our expressions and the type of people we surround ourselves with. It was so easy to love this beautiful re-telling because of the wonderful setting that it was based in! I found myself giggling at every use of the language that I'm so familiar with, and the witty jokes on mainstream South Asian, particularly Indian and Pakistani culture really had me go 'Daaamnnnn.'
Second, the author has done a wonderful job with the re-telling! Her witty word play with the characters' names (Darsee and Alys are my favorite, along with Kaleen xD) and how beautifully she managed to make them all so close to and yet distinct from the characters I've come to love from JA's original P&P really made me love the book a lot.
Third, and most importantly, her take on the issues that plague our society. Take a bow Soniah Ji, you've done a fantastic job with this book, and I salute you for your amazing depiction of the patriarchism, and the misogynistic values that plague our society and how strong, educated female characters can rise to combat that and be their amazing badass selves! Hats off to your for the cultural depiction of such great female characters set in our society. There was also brilliant representation of male characters like Mr.Binat, Darsee, Bungles and Raghav Kumar too, making them really great models for every young boy to look up to.
All in all, I'd like to sum up my review with this one line:
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Pride and Prejudice is a classic that is simply one of a kind. Nothing will ever be as great as the original. But this re-telling comes very close to it, and really, kudos to you, Soniah Ji, because it's brilliant, hard-hitting and beautifully written! 💯❤️
If you liked this Review, You can connect with the Author on Instagram at USERNAME: bansheesbookstagram