International Booker Prize 2022 winner Geetanjali Shree’s debut novel ‘Mai’ reintroduced by Niyogi Books – Times of India

Set in North India, the story revolves around a middle-class family: the three generations of women in the family and the men around them. At the center is the Mai or the mother named Rajjo, who seems to be weak and silent but ultimately it is she who holds together the family while carving a life for herself and others. “Her New Age children are obsessed with rescuing her from the ‘prison’ and escaping themselves; but as the story unfolds, any simplistic notion of bondage and freedom goes for a toss. Profound stories of love and loss are lightly delivered,” reads the book’s blurb.

While the story may seem simple, the author makes the reader question the patriarchy, society’s stereotypes and much more through this novel.

In 2002, Shree’s ‘Mai: Silently Mother’ was chosen for the Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize.

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