Faces of India that do not always coexist

Thrity Umrigar, Il canto dei cuori ribelli [The Song of Rebellious Hearts], Libreria Pienogiorno

This novel, inspired by a true story, gave me a glimpse into the many faces of India. This is a vast country where caste and religious differences do not always manage to coexist. In The Song of Rebellious Hearts by Thrity Umrigar, is about a young woman called Meena, who has been disfigured by her brothers and the members of her village for marrying a man from another faith. A journalist by the name of Smita finds herself face-to-face with a society that, just outside the gleaming skyline of the cities, seems frozen in an eternal Middle Ages, and where traditions hold more value than the heart of the individual. This story brings to light all the painful secrets of Smita’s past, including the renunciation of her own Muslim faith, which her father, a university professor, had to undergo to save his family from certain death before being forced to emigrate to the U.S.. “In my novel, I wanted to return that word to the people to whom it truly belongs, to the women who fight every day with courage to defend their freedom to be who they want and love whom they want. They are willing to risk everything to affirm what matters most”, says the author, of Indian origin, and a professor of creative writing and literature in the U.S.