The Scroll

While it doesn’t follow an overtly feminist agenda, it captures the lives of women in a satisfying and beautiful way. You can hold it up and be happy that there is still literature out there that easily passes the Bechdel Test. And also know that it doesn’t exist just to pass the Bechdel test… At the level of craft too, Nair excels at creating different portraits. There are multiple women, some who only appear for one chapter, and some who become recurring supporting characters in the story of Sreelakshmi and Urvashi. She blends caste, class, and religion with a surprising amount of ease… Perhaps a book like this, which gives an unvarnished glimpse into the lives we lead, will force us to listen, to be kinder, and to treat ourselves better. Highly readable and visceral, the novel reminds you that you are not alone, and that your feelings are not invalid. Eating Wasps is a celebration of women unlike any other. It doesn’t have a politically charged agenda, but it calms you in the wake of all the fear and rage. Much of the novel is ultimately sad, even if it is determined not to be. It’s a simply told story of ordinary characters telling tales you’ve probably been reading all over the newspapers for a long time now. But Eating Wasps is the kind of book that makes you emerge as the winner. You read it, you breathe, and you relax. You can treat it like comfort food, or as your first glimpse into the struggles of women. Eating Wasps can mould itself to be your book. A friend who reminds you that there is still hope and that our voices matter.