So Vast a Prison

All I knew about Algeria was one, it is somewhere in Africa and two, it had been a French colony. The second fact a remnant from some history lesson in school.

An online synopsis of Assia Djebar's So Vast A Prison described the book's unique narrative style and how it intertwined two different threads. I was sold. Stories with complicated narrative are a weakness. It is like reading and doing a jigsaw all at once, two of my favourite activities.

The novel is sliced in three parts. The first part introduces the reader to Isma's present life. Married with a daughter and a job in the city, she seems to have a full life. But, it is clear right from the start that there is something amiss. She meets a young student, falls in love and has an affair. When she confides in her husband, he beats her up almost to the point of blinding her and then leaves her with the word 'talaq' thrice. This part ends with Isma determined to resurrect herself. The narrative style of this part is dreamy and I feel that Isma's caught me by wrist and pulling me along as I float through her story. I must move along at her pace, I cannot take my mind off for a second or I need to backtrack and read again.

The second part is a detailed history lesson on Algeria of the ancient times. If it has a relevance to the plot, it is lost on me. I drudge through it but don't retain a single detail. And I almost give up on the book. I skip a few pages, and hurry on to the rest of Isma's story.

The third part starts with Isma in the present as the director of a documentary - Arable Woman. This part alternates between Isma's experience directing the film and her memories as a child and the stories she has heard of her mother and other ancestors. Once again, Isma has me tagging along with her and once again I must keep pace.

The underlying theme of the so-called modern woman connects as it is much like in India today...a constant struggle between balancing the present with tradition, the superficial with what is deep-rooted in the collective psyche of society.

It is not an easy read and I would recommend skipping the history lesson entirely. But, what struck me is the similarity in traditions and mindsets here at home to a country somewhere in Africa.