REVIEW:The forest of enchanments

After the very successful "The palace of illusions"- a retelling of Mahabharata through draupadi's point of view,Chitra banerjee divakaruni has now come up with the retelling of ramayan,albeit this time from the perspective of Sita.While I am not a fan of "the palace of illusions",the way the story was so poetically presented was extremely interesting.Hence I expected no less from Banerjee this time.And certainly this book has lived upto my expectations,even better than "TPOI".The book presents the ancient story in a very fresh manner and if someone is an Indian literature geek then I am sure he/she will definitely love this fresh perspective to Ramayan that has been presented brilliantly by the author.The story is basically based on the Valmiki Ramayan although there are tales from Bhagvat Puran,Jain Ramayan and other regional ramayan tellings as well which have been incorporated in the narrative.The story follows the life of Goddess Sita from her life as a Princess in king Janak's palace to the point where she ultimately decides to return to mother earth.How she reacts to the situations life throws at her forms the crux of the story.

Sita

The author has given a lot more depth to the character of Sita than the original epics provides her with.The author presents her in a very humane light.She exhibits the emotions of Joy,sorrow,courage and even vulnerability and helplessness.Her courage, resilience and endurance has been highlighted throughout the book.She doesn't flinch from questioning the righteous ways of her husband.She lets her apprehensions and thoughts be known as and when the situation requires.She stands up for herself and sometimes even surrenders to destiny.She is quiet an opinionated woman something which was quite a rarity back in the day.Her camaraderie with her sister Urmila,mother and mother in law's is another wonderful aspect of the book which demonstrates her understanding of enterprise.

Ram and Sita

The most beautiful part,however,of the book is the relationship she shares with her husband, something which has not been thrown light at before.Ram and Sita's relationship was that of camaraderie and mutual respect.Sita is not just a virtuous and commited spouse,she is also Ram's greatest confidant and advisor.She acts as a great support system and never leaves his side of her husband through all thin and thicks of life.When Ram tells Sita about all that had conspired at his supposed coronation which led to the formers banishment to the forest,she is determined to follow him to the forest to see thorough all the trials and tribulations that the enchanted forests can perhaps offer.

*I will stand by you and help you the best I can.Surely,together we'll succeed in creating Ram-rajya.*

Ancillary Characters

It would be a great disservice to the book if I were to review this book only as a story of Sita.This book gives voice not only to Sita but also the other Female characters which have not been given a stage before.Those characters who have been considered too inconsequential to be part of discussion.

This book throws light at the life of such characters like Kaikeyi, Shurpnakha, Mandodari etc., telling the readers that there is more to these characters than just being mundane causal characters as they are usually perceived to be.

Writing 

One of the most welcoming aspect of this book is its writing.The fabled story of ramayan has been presented with such beauty that it is impossible to not fall in love with the words.The way the author has used various types of literary devices to tell the story is intresting.

Uneven Pacing

The only wanting aspect of this 358 page long book is perhaps it's uneven format in which the book is written.The storyline starts slow and the book then starts to pick pace coupled with some inconsistencies.The book ends the uttar kand(one of the most integral events demonstrating Sita's resilience and magnanimity) in just few pages.

Of course this book deters from the traditional ramayan which may not seem okay to everyone but all said and done,the book is a great read and is a must read it you are an avid reader!!

*Because this is the most important aspect of love,whose other face is compassion:It isn't doled out,drop by drop.It doesn't measure who is worthy and who isn't.It is like the ocean.Unfathomable.Astonishing.Measureless*