Back to Blog
Valmiki's Daughter by Shani Mootoo6/2/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() Mootoo is very deliberate in inviting and engaging her readers by addressing them within the context of the story whle the landscape unfurls before our eyes. In the opening scene of Mootoo's story, one gets such detailed descriptions, that streets, statues and buildings seem to emit such a presence as to build the very atmosphere of the book, and one does wonder, with an opener like this, will there be anything left? But there is much to be discovered: a father afraid of his desires and identity – fearing his eldest daughter may experience sexual confusion or exposure to a sexual identity as he had and although he has had encounters, and continues to do so – does not want for her. She would not be diminished because of it- Viveka. ![]() She had no map of her future, but she knew who she was. With social themes that resonate with me as a Caribbean reader, Mootoo takes the reader on the journey of living a secret and repressing one's identity to conform for societal and familial acceptance. ![]()
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |