Book Review: The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

A review of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's novel 'The Forest of Enchantments.'

'The Forest of Enchantments' by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

• Book title: The Forest of Enchantments
• Author: Chitra Lekha Banerjee Divakaruni
• Language: English
• Genre(s): Mythology, Feminism, Epic fiction, Fiction
• Year of release: 2019
• Format that I read the book in: Hardcover
• Publisher: Harper Collins India
• Book length: 359 pages

Blurb

'What occurred when I was alone in the darkness, under the sorrow tree, you don't know. You don't know my despair. You don't even know my exhilaration, how it felt - first in the forest and then in Ayodhya - when I was the most beloved woman in creation.'

The Ramayana, one of the world's greatest epics, is also a tragic love story. In this brilliant retelling, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni places Sita at the centre of the novel: this is Sita's version. The Forest of Enchantments is also a very human story of some of the other women in the epic, often misunderstood and relegated to the margins: Kaikeyi, Surpanakha, Mandodari. A powerful comment on duty, betrayal, infidelity and honour, it is also about women's struggle to retain autonomy in a world that privileges men, as Chitra transforms an ancient story into a gripping, contemporary battle of wills. While the Ramayana resonates even today, she makes it more relevant than ever, in the underlying questions in the novel: How should women be treated by their loved ones? What are their rights in a relationship? When does a woman need to stand up and say, 'Enough!'

Key characters

• Sita: Princess of Mithila and future queen of Ayodhya and Koshal, wife of Ram.
• Ram: Future king of Ayodhya and Koshal, son of Dasharath and Kaushalya, husband of Sita.
• Lakshman: Younger brother of Ram, son of Dasharath and Sumitra, husband of Urmila.
• Urmila: Younger sister of Sita, wife of Lakshman.
• Dasharath: King of Ayodhya; husband of Kaushalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra; father of Ram, Bharat, Lakshman, and Shatrughan.
• Kaikeyi: Wife of Dasharath, mother of Bharat, Ram's step-mother.
• Surpanakha: Sister of Ravan.
• Ravan: King of Lanka.
• Hanuman: The monkey who helps Ram in his quest for rescuing the abducted Sita. 
• Vibheeshan: Younger brother of Ravan.
• Mandodari: Wife of Ravan.
• Sage Valmiki: Author of the original Ramayan.
• Lav and Kush: Twin sons of Sita and Ram.

About the book:

'The Forest of Enchantments' is a retelling of the Indian epic Ramayan from Sita's perspective.

REVIEW

My take on the book:

The Ramayan is a well-known epic and almost every Indian is roughly aware of its story. We know how it glorifies Ram - the dutiful king of Ayodhya and Koshal, who was loved dearly by all his subjects - while conveniently choosing to ignore his unjust treatment of his wife Sita. 'The Forest of Enchantments' is Sita's untold story - of the sincerity of her love for Ram, her innocent mistakes, her sufferings, her empathetic nature, her emotional resilience in times of abject despair, and her gradual realisation of self-worth.

What I like the most about this book is that in it Divakaruni has attempted to give Sita a strident voice of her own, which had been drowned out so far in the din of praises sung of her husband Ram. She has been portrayed as a strong character, though not without her share of love-induced weaknesses. Sita isn't perfect - but who is, anyway? Since this Sitayan is nothing but a retelling of an epic, I think it would be a bit harsh to judge its protagonist based on today's exacting standards of feminism. However, in spite of not being a 'twenty-first century' feminist, Sita does rather well for the era that she lived in.

The Sitayan also sheds more light on other women characters such as Urmila, Sunaina, Kaikeyi, Ahalya, Surpanakha, and Mandodari. Their stories are an important inclusion. I loved Urmila - I felt that she was much braver than Sita. She had to live without Lakshman for 14 years during Ram's exile. At least Sita had her husband for company during that banishment. Not only that but she was also willing to choose her sister over her husband whenever a situation like that arose.

The book shows us a whole different side of Ravan, who is normally depicted in a very negative way. I was fascinated by his character. Not only was he a good king to the people of Lanka, but he also treated Sita with a lot more respect than Ram ever did. Ravan, unlike him, could see her worth.

Sadly, I wasn't a fan of Ram's character. Lakshman wasn't great either. They were both chauvinists, and I was appalled by their callous attitude towards their wives and women in general. I fail to see what Sita saw in Ram that made her fall so madly in love with him.

Getting to the writing style, this book was an easy breezy read. Simple language; fluid story. The narrative is in first person, told by Sita herself. Although, I already knew most of what was going to happen, the story gripped me tightly and I couldn't read fast enough to see how all the events would unfold. Divakaruni doesn't stray away from facts while trying to modernise Sita. Her writing is vivid, and beautiful in its simplicity. This is the first book of hers that I have read and I think it was amazing. My only complaint is that it should have been longer than it was!

The conclusion was highly satisfying. Sita reinforces every woman's self-respect and dignity. She points out to men that they can't have their way all the time and that women are born to do greater things in life than indulge their whims and fancies. And as the author mentions in the introduction, if some elder blesses you saying, "May you be like Sita", let us envision the powerful Sita of 'The Forest of Enchantments' and not her helpless version that we have been hearing over the years.

Reasons to read this book:

1. Strong female characters.
2. Simple language.
3. Fluid story.
4. Vivid writing.
5. Digs deeper into unexplored aspects.

Reasons to not read this book:

1. Ram's character is despicable.
2. Sita and Urmila's reasons for falling in love with Ram and Lakshman respectively don't seem valid enough.

Final Verdict: ✪✪✪✪/5

Also read: Book Review: A Woman of No Importance - A Play by Oscar Wilde