Book Review: Moth By Melody Razak
Melody Razak’s novel Moth presented a highly readable story that encapsulated the tumultuous time of India’s partition. Particularly the highly charged up atmosphere of Delhi in the 1940s. This is a must-read book.
What is Moth by Melody Razak?
Moth is a novel based on India’s partition. It’s a tale of a Brahmin family whose teenage daughter was raped and abducted to Pakistan during the mayhem of the partition. It’s a laudable work of creative writing. Through storytelling, the author has done an excellent job of capturing the true essence of partition, particularly the crimes committed against women and adolescent girls during those turbulent times.
Moth by Melody Razak
The language of the book is written from a layperson’s point of view. I highly recommend this novel to all the readers out there. In fact, for aspiring writers, this book is like a yardstick for learning how to tell a story, especially the historical incidents and their aftereffects, in a different way.
Characters
The following are the important characters of the novel:
Alma – The protagonist
Roop – Alma’s younger sister
Brahma – The liberal father of Alma and Roop
Tanisi – The Urdu professor and Alma’s mother
Cookie Aunty – Brahma’s sister
Daadee Maa – The orthodox grandma
Dilchain – The prudent cook
Fatima Begum – Nanny of Alma and Roop
Zainab, Nubila, Nilufer and Mojghan – The four kind women
Bhaumika – The mali
Important points
These are some of my thoughts after reading the book:
1. The communally charged atmosphere prior to the Partition Of India and afterwards tells us very clearly that a spark of religious hatred is enough to turn friends against friends and neighbors against neighbors.
2. The worst victims of the partition were women and adolescent girls. The level of violence used on them is unimaginable. The mob led by hooligans spared no one, whether they were Muslims, Hindus, or Sikh ladies.
3. Throughout the madness of India’s chaotic division, when humans were butchering each other in the name of religion, there were also many people and families who maintained their sanity. And they saved the lives of fellow humans and gave them shelter in their homes without looking at people’s religious beliefs.
Why should you read this book?
The reader can choose this novel for the following reasons:
• A thoughtful novel on India’s partition
• A story that talks about the violence against women during the partition
• Interested in reading a story that captures the vicious atmosphere of pre and post-partition, Delhi
My Ratings: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
I hope you like this. Thanks for reading. Jai Hind.
You can also order your copy of the book from Amazon India- The Moth novel
