Hey guys, I'm Olivia here from Olivia's Catastrophe.
And today I'm here to give you a book review
of The Girl in the Broken Mirror by Savita
Kalhan.
Now before I start this review, I just want
to say: it's spoiler free.
And also I want to make this very very clear:
this book is about a teenage girl who gets
raped.
It is a book about rape, and that trigger
warning needs to be there.
When I read the synopsis I did not get the
implication it was going to be about rape
at all.
Thankfully, I am someone who is able to read
about the topic and I don't mind the topic.
But I know that lots of people would not feel
very comfortable if they go into this book,
expect something else, and then find out that
it's centered on rape.
You can read the synopsis in the link down
below. In the comment box I link to the Goodreads
as well as Amazon and The Book Depository.
And, well, it just didn't give me the implication
that it was going to be about that at all.
Having given that huge trigger warning that
needed to be there out of the way
I can say that this book was one that I felt
like it really hit me hard,
really got to my emotional side. And I'm very
very glad that I read it.
The beginning was a bit of a slow start. We
slowly get into the story and slowly getting
characters, which seems a bit odd because
the prologue just throws you into the post-rape
situation, and then the next bit - chapter
one -
kind of rewinds unto where the story actually
starts. And then continues up until the moment
that we read in the prologue,
and then goes beyond.
I thought the beginning was quite slow which
was a bit of a negative for the book because
if I hadn't had that prologue I know that
I wouldn't have wanted to keep reading.
So it's quite strategic that it's there and
placed there. Kudos
to the author but I wish she'd sped up the
beginning a little bit.
However, it did give me the ability to know
the characters a bit more
and the character development in this one?
Done. So. Well.
The main character, Jaya, is a fifteen - no
she starts off as fourteen and she has a birthday
throughout the book and turns fifteen -
teenage girl whose father has died. They're
broke, her mum is her only family member,
and they're broke
so they have to go live with her aunty. And
she doesn't really enjoy living there because
her aunty is very traditional
kind of Indian and she's been a bit Westernised
and integrated into the culture in England.
So she's quite resist-- reluctant to go back
there, and back to having to abide by the
traditional rules.
Jay is a character who is very smart. She
knows what she's doing and
I feel like she developed a lot in the book
but not in a way that she should've needed
to.
She should've been able to enjoy her youth
for a lot longer but, y'know, the rape happens
and she just goes through so much.
And she becomes like, a teenager, a little
woman by the end of the book.
And that kinda breaks my heart because she's
had some of her childhood and teenagerhood
stolen from her by the rapist and it just
-
it hit me hard.
But there were also other characters in this
book who I really, really loved. There's Ash
who is the aunt's son. And he is just such
a sweetheart. He is so cute, he is so clumsy,
he is so like, awkward, nerdy,
and it just made my heart so happy.
And we've also got Matt who is Jay's friend
in this book.
And he is - he's not a deep character. I wish
we got to see more of him.
And more of his thoughts on the matter, and
how he would have faced the situation a bit
more,
but the fcus is not really on him. But for
what the focus is on him he's juvenile, he's
friendly, he's playful but he still understands
heavy topics.
And I think the playful personality is one
that can be developed a bit more in young
adult.
Who get the picture but also just having fun
and making the most out of life, if that makes
any sense.
I also really liked the cultural discussion
in this book.
Because yes, as I said, you've got the tension
between the Indian traditional culture and
the Western English culture,
and where Jay kind of falls in between, in
between them both.
And I did appreciate the discussions they
had about clothing, about what she can and
cannot do.
And as someone who was an immigrant myself,
but not from two very contrasting culturals
like these two,
but fromless contrasting cultures, I did understand
a little bit.
And I got to know a little bit more about
the Indian culture but not that much detail.
So it's a diverse read but not focused on
the diverse aspect, more focused on the sexual
assault aspect.
Now it's time to talk about the sexual assault
section of the book.
It was emotional. It was hard hitting and
it really just - anything that happened post-rape
situation, post-assault
hit me in the heart, hit me so hard. My emotions
were like phew!
I was reading this in public on the coach
back to uni and I had to just like, close
the book
and process for a second because so much was
happening
and she was hurting so, so much. It just really
broke my heart.
I don't even have words. I don't have words.
I also really approved of the writing style
for this one.
Because the author chose to have a very simplistic,
straight forward writing style.
In the beginning I was like okay, y'know,
a bit more description would be nice.
A bit more touching up? But then when it came
to the second half of the story I appreciated
that it was so straight forward.
You're not getting any nonsense.
You're not getting any flowering about the
situation to water it down or anything like
that.
It is what it is. And the author is clearly
showing through her writing style that
the situation is what it is. Jay's emotions
and what she's feeling afterward are what
they are.
You can't argue with them because you have
not been in that situation.
That's coming from me. I have not been in
that situation so I cannot speak.
These are her emotions and whether you approve
of it or not, you won't know what she's going
through until you've been in a similar situation
yourself,
and I hope you will not be in a similar situation
as she is in.
Also this book does play a little bit on the
mystery side of things which I did appreciate.
Because in the prologue you get zoomed straight
into immediately post assault.
But then you go back to the beginning and
you don't know who it is that has assaulted
her.
So in the beginning, y'know, when you're introduced
to all the characters, I kept
thinking like: is this person the dodgy? is
this the person who has done this to her?
Who is it?
So you've got a bit of that mystery power
play to take you up until the point where
emotional stuff kicks in.
So, I mean, as a story, you can see that it's
well planned and well written.
Also, this book just deals with so many complicated
relationships.
Especially the one between mother and daughter.
They have a lot of tension, they have a lot
of miscommunication, they have a lot of
feelings and things that they have to sort
through to get to where they are by the end
of the novel.
And I am just going to leave it there because
I don't want to give away any spoilers,
but the complicated relationships were definitely
a plus.
Relationships are never straightforward and
in situations like this I can understand how
relationships can get complicated.
That's all I have to say about this novel.
You've got your trigger warning, and I hope
you will be able to pick up this book if it's
one for you.
If it's not, I completely understand.
Okay, let me know in the comment section down
below which topics you find especially hard
to read about.
It doesn't even have to be sexual assault,
something as deep as that.
It could be, y'know, that you find it hard
to read about WWII, you have find it hard
to read horror, you find it hard to read humor
because it doesn't translate well.
Let me know what books and what topics you
struggle to read down below.
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Thank you so much for watching! Goodbye :)
