She Wants Out and Other Stories by Kiran Jhamb

Statistics

Format: Paperback

Genre: Feminism, Short Stories

Length: 70 pages

Publisher: Dattsons Publishers

Date of Publication: 2013

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

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As a part of the review program by Book Pitaara, I received She Wants Out and Other Stories as a review copy along with Pride March. I like reading short stories as a break between heavy reads.

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The Blurb

“Being a woman at some stage or other you realize how you were coaxed and coerced to become a round peg to fit a round hole. You couldn’t be allowed to turn into a square peg because then you wouldn’t have fitted into the slot which the society allows you. Everyone embarks on a quest for happiness and harmony. One has to make choices, provided one views oneself as having choices. These stories are about women – some, who were content to drift and others who tried to usher in a change. They have an appeal for every reader. They can be read passively or actively – passively for entertainment or actively for reflection. They stress on the need of independence in a woman’s life – a freedom from stuck-up cultural norms because the old rules are not always right.“

The Book

I loved how small each story was but how much emotion was packed into each of it. Most of the stories could be read on a short coffee break but you cannot read the entire book in one go because the stories make you think.

I find that short stories are a gamble. When they are well written, you don’t want them to end but with others, the lack of depth is glaringly obvious. I wasn’t sure what I would find with She Wants Out and Other Stories by Kiran Jhamb but since it was women’s month and this was a book that dealt with women and the reality of their lives, I thought it would be appropriate to read it then. And boy, was I glad that I did! The book describes the lives of women that we all know and commiserate with. The reason that I loved every story was that there are certain aspects in each female character that I am sure we could all identify with. I loved that the author provided a realistic and often humorous look at everyday situations and managed to weave intricate stories in just two or three pages. I enjoyed each perspective and was glad that there was a representation of women from every decade of life. We see women dealing with the loss of their freedom and their right to choose, having to put up with inequality and abuse because the perpetrators are ‘family’ and having to live up to other people’s expectations even though it might not be the right thing for them. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved the book and would love to read more of the author’s work.

The Author

Dr. Kiran Jhamb is an Associate Professor and the Dead of the Department of English in JMT Arts and JJP Science College, Nagpur. She has more than a hundred stories, poems and articles to her credit which have been published in different newspapers and magazines. She has also written two books.

Her work include:

1. Wise to be a Fool
2. Family Dustbin
3. She wants out and Other Stories

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TL;DR: A book filled with interesting short stories that deal with important social issues in a concise manner and leave you with enough emotions to last the entire day

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What are some of your favourite short story collections?

Tell me in the comments below or on my Instagram @the_food_and_book_life