Book of the Week: Abandon

A powerful novel from Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay, the author of Panty, about a woman who runs away from home, seeking to free herself from the shackles of society and familial attachments, and instead devote her attentions to writing a novel.

When she realises that her five year old son Roo has followed her, Ishwari struggles with her identity and responsibilities as a mother, versus the guilty knowledge that she cannot want her own child when his existence requires her to suppress her own dreams.

Ishwari and Roo wander the streets at night, looking for a place to stay, until an elderly caretaker takes pity on them and offers them an empty room on the terrace of a guest house. Ishwari gets work as a caregiver to the handsome gentleman who lives next door, while Roo, who is lame, spends all day locked up in the room on the roof. Pulsating with raw energy, Abandon gives voice to the perpetual conflict between life and art.

You can buy Abandon here