Alternative Book Review: Letter To A Protagonist

After reading Priya Malhotra’s gorgeous WOMAN OF AN UNCERTAIN AGE I felt compelled, rather than writing a review, to write a letter to the protagonist, Naina.   

About WOMAN OF AN UNCERTAIN AGE

Woman Of An Uncertain Age. Priya Malhotra

When fifty-something Naina Mehta’s husband dies of a heart attack, she transforms herself from a suburban wife into a bold woman thirsty for new experiences. A far cry from the classic image of the aging Indian widow who dresses in subdued colors and focuses solely on her children and God.

Naina moves to New York City, takes up a low-paying job in a contemporary art gallery, and becomes besotted by Jai, her daughter’s boyfriend. But that’s only the beginning of her journey into this new world that allows her to explore the possibilities of being who she wants to be.

As Naina becomes more empowered, she dips her toes into the world of dating for the first time in her life. Maybe the possibility of love still exists for a woman of her age. But what happens if the man in question is Muslim and stirs generational wounds and the wrath of her conservative son?

Woman of an Uncertain Age explores the rocky, uncertain terrain of a middle-aged widow during a time when the parameters and ideas of midlife are being challenged. What does it mean to be a fifty-plus woman with grown children in such an environment? Especially for Naina, who comes from a culture where life is expected to follow a strict traditional course.

LETTER TO A PROTAGONIST

Dear Naina,

First of all, I’m sorry for your loss. I know it’s been quite a while since you lost your husband, but I think one can never just “move on” from such immense tragedy. It becomes part of you.

You’d be pleased to know that Priya did a remarkable job retelling your journey, her lush descriptions of your life, how you arrived in America from India, your arranged marriage, your life in New Jersey first of all, and your (brave!) move to Manhattan after the unthinkable happened, rather than doing the “expected” thing of resigning to being the dutiful widow, blending into the background, demure.

You might be less pleased to hear that Priya wrote your story candidly, unflinching, pulling no punches, and revealing far more about yourself than you would have wanted, considering you’re quite a private person.

The guilt you felt when you fell for your daughter’s boyfriend for instance.

The horror upon your daughter’s discovery, the heartwrenching months that followed.

But they were necessary revelations.

If we were to meet in real life, I assume you’d only tell me what I might want to hear, hiding the painful and embarrassing aspects of your journey (don’t we all do that, giving people the version we’d like them to hear?).

“What kind of mother are you, Naina?”

I must admit, I did question this, and it was tricky at times to refrain from judging you, but the fact that you could barely live with yourself because of what had unfolded, and the remorse which seeped from the pages made me want to climb in between the sentences to comfort you.

You are a flawed human being, a beautiful, wise, and inspiring one.

It was no surprise that you turned to online dating eventually, even though you never thought you’d do so. It was entertaining to read, some of the emails you received actually made me laugh out loud.

Rest assured, Priya made your knowledge of and passion for art and music come alive on the pages, many times I found myself looking up references to books you read I was unfamiliar with.

I love the fact you enjoyed reading Isabelle Allende. It made me think, if Priya had not decided to write your story, it could have easily been Allende who’d conjured you up.

Last but not least, my dear friend (I hope you don’t mind me calling you that, you feel like a friend) the hummingbird, which makes a fleeting appearance in your story.

I looked up its symbolism. It’s uncanny.

I hope one day I’ll run into you.

Ideally in a nondescript place, a supermarket, perusing the fruits and vegetables. You’ll mutter something to yourself, and I’ll laugh and comment I do that too, talking out loud to inanimate objects. And I would tell you I like the top you are wearing.

You’ll look at me and smile, bemused.

I wouldn’t need to say anything more. I’d simply know I’d recognized you.

Love, Barbara

Barbara Bos is the managing editor and owner of Women Writers, Women’s Books. Barbara was born in Holland. After finishing University she left for the UK. Since then she has uprooted herself twice more, currently living with her family in a small village in Galicia, North-West Spain.

Follow her @chicaderock on Twitter.

She blogs about Village Life on her website https://chicaderock.wordpress.com/

Priya Malhotra is the author of the novel “Woman of An Uncertain Age.”

She has been a writer and journalist in New York for about 20 years and has contributed to Newsday, Time Out New York, The Times of India, The Japan Times, Asian Art News, Cosmopolitan and News India Times. In 2002, Priya explored why American women converted to Islam in an article for leading newspaper Newsday, and, subsequently, reference book publisher H.W. Wilson included it in a compilation of important articles on religion in politics and society from esteemed national publications such as The New York Times and Atlantic Monthly. Priya has a Master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York City and a Bachelor’ s degree in English literature from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.

She is represented by Jennifer Lyons of Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency whose clients include luminaries such as Jesmyn Ward who made history by becoming the first woman and African-American to win the National Book Award for fiction twice. The agency also represents the estates of Gabriela Mistral, the late Chilean Poet and first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize for literature, and Oscar Hijuelos, the late Cuban-American novelist and first Hispanic writer to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

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