Leila(novel)

Leila

First edition cover
Author	Prayaag Akbar
Language	English
Genre	Fiction Drama
Publisher	Simon & Schuster(India)
Publication date	2017
Publication place	India
Media type	Print (paperback,hardback)
Pages	207
ISBN	978-0-571-34133-7

Leilais a 2017 Indiandystopiannovel written byPrayaag Akbar.Set in the 2040s, the story follows Shalini, who tries to find her missing daughter Leila in a totalitarian regime. It was published bySimon & Schusterin several formats worldwide on 20 April 2017 and received a positive critical reception. It is also available as an audiobook narrated by Tania Rodriguez.

The novel was awarded the 2018juriedCrossword Book Awardfor fiction and the Tata Literature Live First Book Award the same year. It was also shortlisted forThe Hindu Literary Prize.Leilawas adapted as aNetflix seriesbyDeepa Mehta,Shanker Raman andPawan KumarwithHuma Qureshi,Siddharth,Rahul Khanna,Sanjay SuriandArif Zakaria.The series premiered on 14 June 2019 to mostly positive reviews from critics.

Plot

In the late 2040s, drinking water and fresh air are luxuries. India is ruled byThe Council.Shalini is married to Rizwan Chaudhury, a Muslim man with whom she has a daughter, Leila. One day Rizwan is abducted and killed by goons known as "Repeaters" in an attempt to cleanse the bloodlines and stopinter-faith marriages.Her daughter Leila is also abducted. Shalini is sent to a Purity Camp where she serves as a slave for sixteen years. During her long stay, her mental health starts deteriorating. One day she escapes. She is later caught and sent back to the camp where she is appointed as a housekeeper to the Dixits, an advantaged family at the Record Towers. Mr. Dixit is one of the designers for the up-and-coming Skydome, which will be utilized to make fresh air.

Shalini gains access to the tower through the bureaucracy, to get more information. Mr. Dixit is sent to the camp after he neglects to make the arch by the due date. Feeling for Mrs. Dixit, Shalini helps her escape. One day, Shalini gets into the wealthy facility to find answers concerning the whereabouts of her missing girl. She sees a blurb demonstrating one of the specialists she thinks is one of the men who came to kill her husband and kidnap Leila. Shalini sees a video of Dixit clarifying that the Skydome will resemble a climate control system with vents blowing tourists outside of it that can murder individuals outside of it.

While checking for the whereabouts of her daughter, Shalini stumbles on a file of all the children in the country. She notices Leila's picture and her school. Shalini visits the school and sees a little girl free from any danger yet being brainwashed into being a blind follower. Shalini thinks of her as Leila. The girl does not recognize Shalini. A politician, Mr. Rao, tells Shalini to get inside the facility, switch off the power, and take photos of the Skydome's arrangements.

Shalini performs the task and then meets with Rao and gives him the film reel she took before of his preferred sonnet. Rao helps Shalini get into the Skydome work as her daughter will perform there. He gives Shalini content to peruse to the capacity, arranging an upset in an offer to govern over Joshi. Shalini shrouds the light inside Rao's lunch. As Joshi arrives, the youngsters perform for the group of spectators. Joshi then solicits one of the kids, which happens to be Leila, to remain with him. Shalini leaves the building and, standing outside, stares up at the girl she thinks is Leila. Shalini feels like the girl is calling out to her but is never sure whether it is real or her imagination.

Development

Kazuo Ishiguro's writing influenced Akbar to write the story from a female perspective.

Akbar had wanted to write since his childhood and retire as a journalist to pursue a writing career. He wanted to depict the political changes that can "have a devastating impact on people's lives" by humanising the impact.He said that he was drawn by the "isolated, insular experience" of cities like Delhi and Mumbai: "In today's India, there are forces at work which are beyond our immediate control. There are huge, overarching political changes that can have personal ramifications, and can go on to devastate lives."He started writing with the idea of a mother and a daughter being separated.

After readingKazuo Ishiguro's 1982 novelA Pale View of Hills,Akbar wanted to write a story from a women's perspective as it made him realise that a male writer could write well in a woman's voice.Akbar began writing the story with Shalini and her daughter while the elements of dystopia came later on.Akbar felt that in India, it is always important to ascribe the "minute identities of caste and subcaste to each other." He said this experience inspired the setting of the novel.

The novel was written over the course of five years.Akbar said that he deliberately chose "Leila" as the main character's name as it is both a Muslim and a Christian name. He wanted to show that "people also exist between the [religion] space."Leilawas published bySimon & Schusteron 20 April 2017 in various formats.The audiobook version, narrated by Tania Rodriguez, was released on 4 April 2019.

Reception

Writing forThe Economic Times,Lopamudra Ghatak described the novel as "stark" and Shalini's pain "at her loss and longing"... "evocative".Minakshi Raja ofThe Free Press Journaldescribed the book as "well worth a read" but felt the ending was conventional.Karishma Kuenzang ofIndia Todaysaid that the book is "intriguing enough to keep you hooked till the last page".She also compared it toAmitav Ghosh'sThe Shadow Lines,which was based on a similar theme.Ananya Borgohain ofThe Pioneerpraised the novel saying it is "fascinatingly surreal and social at the same time."

A review published byThe Telegraphpointed that the resemblance between the reality and the "horrific world that Akbar conjures up is striking."Aditya Mani Jha ofThe Hindu Business Linecompared the mother-daughter bond with that inCormac McCarthy'sThe Road.Rini Burman ofThe Indian Expresswrote: "Prayaag Akbar conjures up a future society, the inner seams of which reflect rigid class and caste divisions — almost eerie echoes of the reality we are living out now."Keshava Guha ofThe Hinducalled it a "gripping debut novel that is a dystopian work that speaks directly to the ongoing changes in India's politics and society."Nandini Krishnan ofThe Wirepraised the writing and said that the world of the novel is "not frightening so much as credible."

Avantika Mehta ofHindustan Timesdescribed the novel as a "powerful debut" that "knocks you sideways with its complex questions."Bhanuj Kappal ofThe Nationaldescribed the writing as "tight and unrelenting" that never lets the reader's attention drift.Trisha Gupta ofScroll.infelt the future shown in the novel is "really already here."Somak Ghoshal ofHuffPostpraised the novel and noted the mother-daughter relationship as the highlight.

Nudrat Kamal ofDawncalled the prose "engaging" and said the "narrative tension of Shalini's increasingly desperate attempts to reunite with her daughter keeps the reader in its thrall."Aditya Singh ofThe Millionsfelt the novel was a "political and social allegory" with a "powerful commentary on the inherently unstable foundations that India's societal setup rests upon."Roger Cox ofThe Scotsmancalled the novel timely and memorable saying it "takes" xenophobic small-mindedness to its chilling conclusion. "Kerryn Goldsworthy ofThe Sydney Morning Heraldnoted that Akbar successfully "create(s) a society in which everyone must be labelled by categories and sub-categories of race, religion and family, and movements around the city are strictly monitored."

Akbar was awarded the juriedCrossword Book Awardfor fiction. He also won the Tata Literature Live First Book Award.It was also shortlisted forThe HinduLiterary Prize.

Adaptation

In February 2018,Netflixannounced it was commissioning anoriginal seriesbased on the novel. Produced byDeepa Mehta,it starredHuma Qureshi,Siddharth,Rahul Khanna,Sanjay SuriandArif Zakaria.Directed by Mehta, Shanker Raman andPawan Kumar,the series began filming in November 2018 and finished in April 2019.It premiered on 14 June 2019 to mostly positive reviews from critics.

External links

• LeilaatSimon & Schuster