Shree Geentanjali, Tomb of Sand

An eighty-year-old woman slips into a deep depression at the death of her husband, then resurfaces to gain a new lease on life. Her determination to fly in the face of convention - including striking up a friendship with a hijra person - confuses her bohemian daughter, who is used to thinking of herself as the more ''modern'' of the two. At the older woman''s insistence they travel back to Pakistan, simultaneously confronting the unresolved trauma of her teenage experiences of Partition, and re-evaluating what it means to be a mother, a daughter, a woman, a feminist. Rather than respond to tragedy with seriousness, Geetanjali Shree''s playful tone and exuberant wordplay results in a book that is engaging, funny, and utterly original, at the same time as being an urgent and timely protest against the destructive impact of borders and boundaries, whether between religions, countries, or genders.

An eighty-year-old woman slips into a deep depression at the death of her husband, then resurfaces to gain a new lease on life. Her determination to fly in the face of convention - including striking up a friendship with a hijra person - confuses her bohemian daughter, who is used to thinking of herself as the more ''modern'' of the two. At the older woman''s insistence they travel back to Pakistan, simultaneously confronting the unresolved trauma of her teenage experiences of Partition, and re-evaluating what it means to be a mother, a daughter, a woman, a feminist. Rather than respond to tragedy with seriousness, Geetanjali Shree''s playful tone and exuberant wordplay results in a book that is engaging, funny, and utterly original, at the same time as being an urgent and timely protest against the destructive impact of borders and boundaries, whether between religions, countries, or genders.

Eine achtzigjährige Frau rutscht nach dem Tod ihres Mannes in eine tiefe Depression, taucht dann jedoch wieder auf und gewinnt eine neue Lebensperspektive. Ihr Entschluss, gegen die Konventionen zu handeln – einschliesslich einer Freundschaft mit einer Hijra (trans) Frau – verwirrt ihre bohemienhafte Tochter, die sich selbst als die modernere von beiden sieht. Auf Drängen der älteren Frau reisen sie zurück nach Pakistan, wo sie gleichzeitig die ungelösten Traumata ihrer Teenagererfahrungen während der Teilung konfrontieren und neu bewerten, was es bedeutet, Mutter, Tochter, Frau und Feministin zu sein. Anstatt auf Tragödien mit Ernsthaftigkeit zu reagieren, führt Geetanjali Shrees verspielter Ton und exuberante Wortspiele zu einem Buch, das fesselnd, lustig und völlig originell ist, während es gleichzeitig einen dringenden und zeitgemässen Protest gegen die zerstörerischen Auswirkungen von Grenzen und Schranken darstellt, sei es zwischen Religionen, Ländern oder Geschlechtern.

*Tomb of Sand * - International / 23.99€ / Taschenbuch