📘 The Girl in the Broken Mirror
by Savita Kalhan
Genre Fiction ◦ YA
Publication 2018
Format & Source Print ◦ For review
Rating ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
📝 My Review
This was the second book I’ve read by Savita Kalhan, and it was another heavy hitter that will really stick with me!
What I love the most about Savita’s novels is that she is unafraid to broach the heavy, scary, and taboo topics.
In this story, we meet Jay, a young girl who lives in England but comes from an Indian family. After the death of her father, she and her mom move in with an aunt and uncle who are far more traditional than she’s accustomed to, and her whole life changes. She loses her freedom and ability to see her friends when she wants to, as her aunt makes increasingly strict rules and chores for Jay and her mother. Things get much worse though when Jay is sexually assaulted and has to cope with the trauma and aftermath.
This was definitely a heavy story that could be quite dark at times, but covers so many important topics: trauma, rape, familial relationships, and culture clash to name a few. Jay struggles to explain to her friends and kind-of boyfriend Matt how different life is under her aunt’s thumb. They don’t always understand the culture she comes from and Jay feels torn between the modern ways and traditional ways that her aunt tries to push on her. These relationships were interesting and eye-opening. It really made me see how people from other cultures may struggle when they live in other countries. The relationship between Jay and her mother was also really interesting to read about… guilt, broken bonds, sorrow. Mother-daughter relationships are always so delicate and it’s fascinating to read about.
Beyond the story of culture and family is, of course, the story of the rape, trauma, and its aftermath. It was heartbreaking and realistic, and I think it’s important to talk about. Seeing Jay experience such a horrible thing made me so empathetic. It opened my eyes to the struggles that victims endure and completely broke my heart. It gave me a deep understanding, and I’m grateful for that.
This is definitely a deep and difficult story, but I enjoyed my time with it. Though it was sad, it was well written and taught me a lot. It really expanded my view on so many things including trauma and cultural struggles. It’s hard to feel narrow minded when reading a story like this one. I’d recommend it, and am definitely a big time fan of Savita Kalhan!
No comments