Book Review: Liberation of Sita

I read The Liberation of Sita focusing on the stories and most importantly the characters. The writing is so simple, straightforward and unembellished; jarringly so at first. And while reading the first few pages I wondered about the starkness. But the stories, fantastical as they are, I think, only benefit from Volga’s uncomplicated writing. It kind of just helped highlight the most impactful and important parts of the stories, with no distraction by flowery and painstaking prose.

The Liberation of Sita gives a prominent voice to the female characters that are often reduced to tropes and morals in Indian Mythology and relates the direct impact and detriment that the men in their lives have had on them. These voices, at their core, all point to the same thing — self-emancipation and independence.

I really enjoyed the idea of discovery, realisation and understanding that Sita, who is in some way or the other falling into traps of the patriarchy, goes through because of other women and hearing their stories. It’s not immediate, she may not accept the abuse and mistreatment that they and herself have gone through immediately but it builds and sinks in slowly. This denial and disbelief called attention to how over generations patriarchal ideology does get internalised, thus enforcing gender roles and oppression. I loved seeing her journey where she wants to believe the best of the men in her life and how the women she comes across completely shake up everything she’s grown up with and taught. By showing both her life, her perspective alongside these other women’s, it felt like a very holistic exploration of the myths, gender and society that’s applicable even today.

Each story is unique and has a strong point of view. Volga ties in each of the different women’s experiences to some aspect of Sita’s life and it is done expertly. I took something from each story. The stories and characters didn’t shy from anything and were explicit in their views of the men around them and the reality of each experience.

I found it so important that in some stories, the men’s actions are not explained or rationalised, we just see how the women choose to deal with their actions after the fact and how they process their trauma and everything they face.
In most retellings of these myths, men’s actions are given explanations in such a way that it only feels like justifying their decisions and making excuses for them.
Here, we’re made to ignore the classic male protagonists of these myths and view them as a system. We’re made to focus on the women, their experiences and independent existences. No one is cast as a villain — it’s all just matter of fact or laid out as their barebones experiences.

Either way, all this incoherence to say, I really enjoyed The Liberation of Sita.
I’ve read oh so many retellings of the Ramayana, feminist ones included(and enjoyed some for sure) but I can honestly say, I’ve never read one quite like this.