// The Girls in Green by Tanushree Podder

Book Tour & Review

The Girls in Green is a fast paced novel about four girls whose lives take a great turn when they all arrive at the Officer Training Academy. Although there are many a good books about men officers being trained, I never witnessed a book that addressed Lady Cadets in general. In this sense, The Girls in Green was somewhat a refreshing read. As one dives into the story, the transformation of these young women from knowing nothing about the defence to becoming the best version of themselves to serve the country is a treat to witness. Tanushree Podder has cleverly added little quirks to the story, to maintain the right balance of seriousness for the book to work.

Bijli, Lakmenlang, Shiny and Nutan instantly form a solid friendship when they arrive at the OTA in Chennai, each belonging from a different background and carrying varied motives to be a part of the Indian Military. Their rigorous training is nothing short of awe-inspiring, making them shed blood and sweat so as to prepare them for an adventurous and a patriotic future. Few of the girls who joined the training for petty reasons find themselves respecting the defence, further pushing themselves to do their best. Amidst the back-breaking training and regime, the girls seek comfort and support from each other through all the ups and downs.

Although I did enjoy reading parts of this book, I was bothered by the amount of body shaming that Nutan was made to receive. The taunts were endless, making me feel very uncomfortable. I have heard praises of the author's previous works, especially of Boots, Belts, Berets but this particular book somehow fell short of my expectations. Albeit The Girls in Green had incredible potential to be extraordinary, the story was certainly lacking something. Nevertheless, it does make for a good one time read.