Title: The Rape Trial
Author: Bidisha Ghosal
Pages: 548
The cover is beautiful and thought provoking. It attracts the reader.
This book is set in the city, Badrid Bay. The home of the protagonists. As the title suggests, this book follows the story of Avni Rambha who was raped by Rahul Styabhangi. But Rahul Satyabhagi got away with it because of his father’s clout in the city. He further became men’s rights activists. Nearly after a decade, a sting operation has proved he had been lying. Now, Rhea, Haitaishi and Amruta are to take an action against it. The book further unfolds the plot.
As soon as I read the title, I picked the book up and it didn’t disappoint me. The book has a lot more than its title; it does contain the rape trial but it also explores the thoughts of the victim, friendship, power, crime, politics and revenge. This book has been pleasantly suprising.
I LOVED the writing style. The dialogues and conversations had depth, bringing us closer to the story slowly. It’s a huge book and has a complex plot but the writing style makes it easier to read. I don’t like big books. I rarely read them but the author kept me gripped till the ending. The story starts with suspense and the it is there till the last. The characters and the backstories have been built carefully.
The book makes the reader question themselves of how many times they have turned blind eye to the harsh reality. It changes perspectives and is an eye opener. This book should be read by everyone, it speaks on the topic which needs much attention.
“Imagine a world where you can walk out and no one ogles you,” Hitaishi said. “You can go wherever you want no matter what time of day, wear what you want, let any part of your body jiggle and bounce and not think about that bloody bra strap.”
“The law is not justice. Laws are punishments, and they come too late and at immense cost to the victim. Justice lies beyond the law. You line those boys up and shoot them between the eyes. That’s justice.”
“We’re all taught to hide these things, treat them like a small thing. Especially when it comes to who the boy is. It’s this bizarre split in society where the boy doing it is nothing wrong, but you’re wrong because he did it to you.”
“Rape isn’t just that one time of sexual violence; women have to live with it long after it’s done. Once you’re dead, it’s over. Murder, at least in my opinion, is not the best, not the most accurate response to rape.”
5/5
AVNI JAIN 