3 Review(s)

The Journey of a Mirror' is a compelling story about a girl Aina, whose name means 'mirror', who is born in a conventional family in 1938 in India. The novel depicts the general lifestyle of the pre independence times, where in some joint families, there were separate quarters for men and women and a wife could meet her husband only in the mating room. The novel transports the reader into their lives, to feel the pain and pleasures of the characters caught either in the whirlpool of circumstances or the dictats of traditions. The novel also reveals specific instances and experiences, both happy and sad, that colour the life of Aina, often leaving an indelible imprint on her sensitive heart. Would she ever find out who was stalking her and why? Was it to rape her? The novel is about her aspirations in trying to become educated and independent, and her endeavour to get away from the sacrificial subjugation expected from women in those days, bogged down as they were by male dominance and abuse. The novel also brings alive her quest for love, to fill up the vacuum in her heart as she never gets her mother's love. Is she successful in her efforts? Or is she as fragile as a mirror? Does she really get her mother's and lover's genuine love that she craves for? What was wrong with her husband? Was he impotent or gay? Why was the Air Force Police called? Was someone a traitor?