I've heard good things about this novel, so of course I was excited to begin reading. Also, my copy is a cute little ex-library book, and the feel of a regular book after all the de-dustjacketed monographs and textbooks I'm usually reading through is so nice. :)
The beginning starts out pretty cool. The first character to meet is Kaikeyi, which is already a tip-off that this Ramayana story is going to be from a different perspective than usual. I'm still getting used to the setting, on the one hand feeling a little antiquated (with speakeasies and old films) and on the other very modern, with TV, laptops, and political debates surrounding a switch to democracy.
There's also digs at the usual epic narrative. Some are direct, with characters questioning how much of the story is told when it's told by the victors, but others, like Valmiki's officially-endorsed journalistic biography of Ram, are a little more discreet.
I thought this would read more like a mystery novel, but by the end of this first part, I'm realizing there's likely to be more violence and darkness than I expected. There's a bit of a dystopian feel right now, with the main character imprisoned under obviously not normal procedures. I might have already skipped ahead and skimmed some later scenes...definitely not the route I was expecting the plot to take, but should be interesting.
still from Sita Sings the Blues (Coffee Coffee and More Coffee)
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