Sneha reviews Sondai, the story of a girl widowed after five days of her marriage and outcast as witch. An exclusive for Different Truths.

Book: Sondai

Author: Payal Kumar

Genre: Social

My Rating: ☆☆☆☆

It’s a pleasure reading a book from back home. I know it’s weird but I felt like I can smell the soil and feel the ambience of Raje village.

I know it’s weird but I felt like I can smell the soil and feel the ambience of Raje village.

This is  story of Sondai, who became widow only after five days of her marriage. She was labeled as witch and literally outcast from her family, as typical of her contemporary society.

But she accepted her fate as it is , and started living her life in solitude and toiling hard , day and night  for her family. , she started shouldering responsibility and literary became the man of family.  She rejected the remarriage proposal  from her childhood crush and devoted her life for well being of her family.

She lived her life for others and became a form of Godess Durga for her family.

She lived her life for others and became a form of Godess Durga for her family.

The language and narrative is beautifully written and we saw a glimpse of village life and traditions of a rich culture all through the story. The protagonist is strong willed woman . I really loved the way author portrayed woman characters, whether it is Sondai or Badamia or others ,  and presented woman empowerment.

The writing style is captivating

The writing style is captivating and all the characters feel fresh and unique. An amazing story. A must read.

Photo sourced by the author.