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A review by catommy17
Chokher Bali by Rabindranath Tagore
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This story is so twisted and poetic and tragic, how intrigues of a small-minded people ruin lives. The social aspect is also important, I just can't imagine how small and cramped the world has been for women. It's impossible to blame it all on men seeing how many women lack compassion when it comes to each other, like in this book.
None of the characters are painted in the strictly positive light or negative, they are very complex. Tagore writes his characters with a lot of compassion and understanding. Even Rajalakshmi who is the one who started all this mess and was abhorrent towards everyone except her baby boy Mahendra and his best friend Behari can be understood. What I cannot understand is howeveryone just forgot how she herself refused to take medicine Mahendra prescribed for her and everyone was okay with that. It doesn't get addressed anywhere.
It's very psychological and many things are written between the lines, the always present tension between the characters. I have been consuming a lot of modern media recently which is pretty straightforward in nature and lacks nuance.
In the end, the books gets moralistic though. Okay, it isn't the worst outcome for Binodini, she could have gotten herself killed off (sending greetings to Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary). But I was rooting for her, finally finding love and happiness. But, hey, I read that author himself regretted not pushing forward. And how Asha is justexpected to forgive Mahendra and not make him feel guilty . The novel shows a lot of compassion to women but it's not feministic in the modern understanding of the word. I find it realistic that Asha doesn't want anything to do with Binodini after all that happened.
And I know, social and cultural context is important and I usually hate when people diagnose characters with different mental conditions but Binodini literally has so many BPD traits:
1. Goes from love to hate and back. I believe she indeed believed that she loved Asha and Mahendra, not just trying to live vicariously through them, intriguing and plotting revenge. But she quickly goes to 'I'm going to ruin their lives' in seconds, then forgets about it, then returns to her revenge plans with newly found resolve.
2. Pulls and pushes people, manipulating them. Not seeing anything bad in using and publicly humiliating Mahendra only to get to Behari. Showing kindness to Asha only to push her away (ignore her, not writing any letters while she was away. Also Asha is a precious baby and deserves everything)
3. Making big decisions on a whim without giving it much thought.
4. HOW SHE SQUANDERS ALL HER CHANCE FOR HAPPINESS EVEN WHEN IT IS RIGHT THERE!!! (so relatable).
5. Being hot, and mysterious, and unstable.
Anyways, great psychological novel about chronically fatherless people and a lot of pent up sexual frustration.
None of the characters are painted in the strictly positive light or negative, they are very complex. Tagore writes his characters with a lot of compassion and understanding. Even Rajalakshmi who is the one who started all this mess and was abhorrent towards everyone except her baby boy Mahendra and his best friend Behari can be understood. What I cannot understand is how
It's very psychological and many things are written between the lines, the always present tension between the characters. I have been consuming a lot of modern media recently which is pretty straightforward in nature and lacks nuance.
In the end, the books gets moralistic though. Okay, it isn't the worst outcome for Binodini, she could have gotten herself killed off (sending greetings to Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary). But I was rooting for her, finally finding love and happiness. But, hey, I read that author himself regretted not pushing forward. And how Asha is just
And I know, social and cultural context is important and I usually hate when people diagnose characters with different mental conditions but Binodini literally has so many BPD traits:
1. Goes from love to hate and back. I believe she indeed believed that she loved Asha and Mahendra, not just trying to live vicariously through them, intriguing and plotting revenge. But she quickly goes to 'I'm going to ruin their lives' in seconds, then forgets about it, then returns to her revenge plans with newly found resolve.
2. Pulls and pushes people, manipulating them. Not seeing anything bad in using and publicly humiliating Mahendra only to get to Behari. Showing kindness to Asha only to push her away (ignore her, not writing any letters while she was away. Also Asha is a precious baby and deserves everything)
3. Making big decisions on a whim without giving it much thought.
4. HOW SHE SQUANDERS ALL HER CHANCE FOR HAPPINESS EVEN WHEN IT IS RIGHT THERE!!! (so relatable).
5. Being hot, and mysterious, and unstable.
Anyways, great psychological novel about chronically fatherless people and a lot of pent up sexual frustration.