Book Review - Girls Burn Brighter

The book Girls Burn Brighter is the author - Shobha Rao's first novel and is about two girls, their destiny and their friendship.

Poornima and Savitha are from Indravalli,  a small village in Andhra Pradesh, India and soon become close friends after Savitha starts working for Poornima's father in his weaving mill. Both their families are poor and live off meager meals and offerings. Added to this is the predicament of  marriage and its associated dowry that looms in the not too distant future, threatening to push them into the throes of poverty.

Savitha and Poornima are soon separated and walk down their own fateful destinies far from each other, and their lives become unending chapters of brutal and inhuman atrocities endured in the name of survival. As years go by, they are left with only memories of their friendship and a burning urgency to find each other which they believe is their beacon of hope. 

This book deals with a lot of social issues women have faced and continue to face even today. Human trafficking, rape and physical abuse are topics that run rife in this novel and are treated with detail and despair. The book also meanders through some of the social constructs that are imposed on women, suffocating their ideas and opinions. It is definitely a heavy read and the characters linger on for days after finishing the book.

What I liked about the book? I liked her clean, descriptive third person narrative and also some of the powerful prose that was scattered across the book. The characters radiate resilience and and a quiet strength that comes only with great suffering and pain. 

However, I just felt that there were too many fictional conveniences that were taken throughout the book. Conveniences which cropped up at the time of need with no elaborate backgrounds and explanation which almost made their struggle seem inconsequential in the larger scheme of things. What the characters needed was a deeper dive into their individual thoughts and psyche. The book also showed a huge potential in deepening their friendship but the opportunity was missed in the rather hurried story telling. All in all a memorable read and I definitely recommend reading this book. I look forward to more books from this author!

I gave it a 3 star on Goodreads.

Happy Reading!
SSB