happiness and food

It is very unlikely that you receive a book to review and once you read it, the concept and story stays alive in some corner of your heart and coaxes you to think of the society we live in and what all people go through each single day. Rapescars is one such book and as the tagline truly sums up – they never heal. Thank you The Readers Cosmos for sending over the book. I appreciate it!

Plot and Positives: Rapescars is the story of a young girl Akriti who is gangraped by her boyfriend and his friends. For Akriti, this unfortunate incident shatters her trust and then starts the ordeal of a court case. The accusations, the mud slinging on her character,  her sexual preferences, everything is out in the open for scrutiny. When it is verdict time, Akriti makes an unusual request for the accused. Read the book to know more and why this request.

Most of the authors these days are experimenting with different story lines and genres. Amidst all of this, the story penned by the author is different and tries to bring out a harsh truth out in public – It’s the victim who is blamed in cases of rape and molestation. The court case, the discussions, the characters in the story are weaved thoughtfully and the story brings out some realities for all of us to know what a rape victim goes through if she chooses to report the case:

• If you report the matter, be ready to answer vulgar questions. It is a verbal rape of the victim not once but again and again and umpteen number of times.
• Sexual relationships before marriage indicates that the victim invited the rape. Even if she was raped by someone known, it is her to blame.
• The society questions every little behavior or mannerism of the girl once it’s out that she was raped. The way she walked, talked and dressed was enough to bring on this gang rape.
• The accused may get a seven year term but what the victim goes through is life long. It haunts every now and then and is never forgotten.
• Two finger test still exists and the girl is an object for doctors and police officers.

This book very subtly captures the stereotypes prevalent and the author has not shied away from using words like vagina or the other genitals. Family is one’s biggest support and the author has shown a family that stands by Akriti in her toughest phase of life.

What could have been better: Grammatical errors could have been avoided. A better proof-reading would have certainly been more appreciated. I also felt that the end could have been more detailed and elaborate. It was too quick and I wanted more. Though the dialogues were powerful, the language was not very refined. Personally, the choice that Akriti made to make Raman suffer was not something I agree to. I should call it out that the author did a good job by calling this out and explaining his stance at the end of the book.

Tactical Details: The font is good-sized and legible and the front and back cover of the book neatly designed. The writing style is simple and the English used is easy to make this book a super quick read.

Overall Verdict: We don’t get to read authors who bring out a social issue out in public. Hence if you are looking for a quick read and want to read something serious, go for this one. I give the book a rating of 3.5/5.

Book Details:  

Name:  Rapescars

Authors: Gaurav Sharma

Genre: Fiction/Social Issues

Publisher: Petals

Publication Year: 2014

Number of pages: 151

Price: 150 INR

My rating: 3.5/5

February is already here. Time really flies. What would you like to read? Keep sharing thoughts, comments and yes, keep visiting. Your presence encourages me.