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The Curse by Salma was originally published in 2012 but the newest edition in English includes few stories from the previous book including other works by her. Kalyan Raman has done a brilliant job in translating these stories, managing to keep the essence of them intact. I read Women Dreaming by Salma couple of months ago which spoke of Muslim women trapped in patriarchal homes and when I began reading The Curse Stories, a similar theme emerged from the stories. Salma's writing carries an honesty that comes rarely in other works, the sort of realness that forces the readers to pause and think. These stories capture women who struggle for basic freedoms, their wings clipped and forced into cages. If you're planning to discover a new author this year, let it be her.

This book encloses eight short stories, each powerful as the previous one. My favourite was undeniably 'Toilets', which focuses on how women are denied basic amenities leading them to be prone to health problems. The disposal of menstrual rag can create such dilemma that their cheeks burn with shame. Second favourite was 'The Orbit of Confusion' in which a daughter addresses a letter to her mother which is bubbling of anger, hate and love. It portrays conflicted feelings between a mother-daughter duo. In 'Childhood' a woman faces her past love and reminisces of the times when she was sure of marrying him. While men were pushed to study more, girls were forced to marry quite early. Amidst these favorites were other stories that revolved around women, unlucky and disgruntled by the rules set by the society. Salma is unabashedly open about voicing her opinions when it comes to talking about desires of women and demands people to normalise it. To shed away anything remotely taboo surrounding these simple pleasures. I will certainly read more of Salma and maybe you should too.

Rating : 4.3/5.

Thank you for the copy @speakingtiger