A Plate of White Marble by Bani Basu

I started A Plate of White Marble by Bani Basu (Translated by Nandini Guha) with very few expectations. The blurb had convinced me that it'll be a story I enjoy, Bandana is a woman widowed at a time no one expected her to be (is it ever any other way though?) decides to break free from an environment that ensures she's treated to nothing but bland food, colourless clothes, and exclusion from any and every celebration that takes place. This is where the blurb misled me a bit. She didn't break free of it all by herself, she had her Kaka who ultimately stood up for her years after her husband's death. Better late than never, no?

What follows is the woman deciding to be financially independent, managing housework and her job, taking care of a loving son, but not all by herself. The aforementioned Kaka is with her through everything, making sure nothing dims her spirits. However, life gets in the way and Bandana eventually has to take things into her own hands, and that's when it all starts slipping. Managing an adolescent boy who cannot set his mind to something, managing a job that requires your all, and dealing with women and men alike who question her choice of colorful clothing despite being a widow is an everyday struggle for her. I'm afraid if I delve any deeper into the story, I'll ruin the surprises for you, so I'll stop. However, not for a moment did this story become boring. The pages flew by on their own and I loved every second of it.

I should mention that some instances in the book reek of patriarchy and while they might not be true for everyone, they are true for many, many women. It was disheartening to read them, to say the least. Also, the book sheds light on mental health issues as well, which is something of a feat considering when this book was first written.

The only thing I'd have wanted more or better of was the writing. It seemed too plain for my taste but that's not to say that the essence of the story was lost. Of course, since I don't know Bengali, I cannot be a good judge of this, but you know what I meant, right?