Stephanie Jane recenzis The Chai House de Priti Srivastava
A compelling novella
5 steloj
I hadn't previously read any work by Priti Srivastava so, not knowing what to expect from The Chai House, I was thrilled to find myself so impressed with this novella - especially as it is Srivastava's debut. An amazing achievement! The world-building and character creations are superb and I loved how they maintained a tense, foreboding atmosphere throughout this story. The Chai House is set in a near-future America where women are again completely subjugated. Through seeing what is happening politically in places like Florida at the moment, I could easily believe in this premise and Srivastava's only giving hints as to the disaster that allowed the Knight's regime to flourish allowed me to focus fully on its aftermath. The Chai House consists of two ultimately linked narratives. One follows a Desi-American mother and daughter whose solution to survival is to ostensibly embrace the Knight's leadership. The other gives brief …
I hadn't previously read any work by Priti Srivastava so, not knowing what to expect from The Chai House, I was thrilled to find myself so impressed with this novella - especially as it is Srivastava's debut. An amazing achievement! The world-building and character creations are superb and I loved how they maintained a tense, foreboding atmosphere throughout this story. The Chai House is set in a near-future America where women are again completely subjugated. Through seeing what is happening politically in places like Florida at the moment, I could easily believe in this premise and Srivastava's only giving hints as to the disaster that allowed the Knight's regime to flourish allowed me to focus fully on its aftermath. The Chai House consists of two ultimately linked narratives. One follows a Desi-American mother and daughter whose solution to survival is to ostensibly embrace the Knight's leadership. The other gives brief glimpses of another ex-soldier mother and her daughter who are living rough, outside of the mainstream. The contrasts between the two demonstrate clearly what Amma and Swati risk losing. One of the most telling moments for me was when hard-working Amma, who dedicated her life to making a better life for her descendants, bemoans the fact that their lives are more drastically curtailed now than hers would have been back in India. All that effort expended, only to end up moving backwards. Swati, whose point of view we mostly follow, is a compelling narrator. I didn't always like her, but I could understand the choices she made and how she struggled in the situations where she had no agency at all. Her relationship with Amma was particularly interesting because I could equally empathise with both woman and I couldn't imagine what Swati could do to free herself when Amma' desires to protect her family and improve their social standing were so strong. The Chai House is a powerful novella of a possible (probable)? future and I think it is absolutely worth a read for everyone who enjoys speculative and dystopian fiction