The Aunt Who Wouldn't Die | 
pickA short novel-in-translation about family, power, tradition, & the winds of change. A tragic & bitter Auntie, married at the age of 7 & widowed by 12, dies suddenly. She haunts the newest daughter-in-law in a floundering, aristocratic Bengali family. We also get a tale of stubborn independence & first love, focusing on the struggle between the two, told from the POV of the daughter-in-law‘s only child. 👇🏻
monalyisha Though I arrived at a fondness for the story by the (very open) ending, I never quite got the hang of defining who the family members were to one another. This bothered me at first (& I probably could have taken steps to rectify my ignorance)…but I settled into it (it‘s a sick day; forgive me). Ultimately, what hooked me & kept me going was a pervading sense of melancholy, moon-glow, & the distinct & confident personhood of each female character. (edited) 2y
