The Wayward Daughter (novel)

The Wayward Daughter: A Kathmandu Story is a 2018 novel by Shradha Ghale.[1] It was published on December 1, 2018 by Speaking Tiger Books.[2] It is the debut novel of the author. It is a coming of age story of a girl in 1990s Kathmandu during the Nepalese civil war.

The Wayward Daughter: A Kathmandu Story
Cover page
AuthorShradha Ghale
CountryNepal, India
LanguageNepali
GenreContemporary fiction
Set inKathmandu
Published2018
PublisherSpeaking Tiger Books
Media typePrint (Paperback), E-book
ISBN978-93-88070-58-4

Synopsis

Sumnima Tamule is a student in Rhododendron High School. Most of her peers are from rich families and are planning to go abroad for their higher education. She is from a middle class family and got second division in her studies, she has to settle for an obscure college in the city. After Sunmina's poor performance in the exam, her parents expectation falls upon her younger sister, Numa. Subsequently, her cousins from Lungla, a village in remote Nepal comes to Sumnina's place fleeing the civil war troubles. Her life is caught in a frenzy amidst all new changes in her household. The book also depicts the class and caste differences in cosmopolitan Kathmandu.[3]

Characters
  • Sumnima Tamule— a high school graduate student, major protagonist of the book
  • Numa— Sumnima's sister
  • Boju— Sumnima's foul mouthed grandmother
  • Gajey— Sumnima's father
  • Premkala— Sumnima's mother
  • Ganga— Sumnima's cousin
  • Manlahari— Sumnima's cousin
  • Sagar Karky— Sumnima's US-returned boyfriend and an RJ
  • Rajan— Sumina's uncle

Themes

The book depicts the various class and caste division within Nepali society. The major character belongs to an indigenous community from Nepal. Although, the community that Sumnima belongs to is fictional, Ghale took inspiration from many other indigenous community of Nepal to create the customs of Tamule family. The book also discrimination of women in a patriarchal Nepalese society. The women in the book are bounded by various gender roles set by the society. The book also shows the impact of the Maoist unrest to common people in Nepal and how they have to leave their villages and hometown to cities for their safety.[4]

Reception

The book was critically acclaimed by critics in Nepal.[5] Uday Adhikari of The Gorkha Times praised the book as " vibrant piece of social reality".[6] Nandita Bose praised Ghale's writing as "simple, profound, witty and effective" in her review for The Deccan Herald.[7] Richa Bhattarai in her review for The Wire recommended the book for "an exploration of Nepal over the past few decades through the eyes of a perceptive and skillful writer".[8]

See also

References
  1. Bhattarai, Sewa. "Shradha Ghale, the prodigal daughter". Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  2. BUREAU, APEX. "THE WAYWARD DAUGHTER: A promising debut". The Annapurna Express. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  3. "THE WAYWARD DAUGHTER: A KATHMANDU STORY". TNM. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  4. "Opinion | Is 'The Wayward Daughter' feminist?". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  5. "Himal Interviews: The Wayward Daughter". Himal Southasian. 2018-12-27. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  6. "The Wayward Daughter: A Vibrant Piece of Social Reality". The Gorkha Times. 2020-08-30. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  7. "Book review: The Wayward Daughter by Shradha Ghale". Deccan Herald. 2019-01-20. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  8. "Review: From Nepal, of Nepal". The Wire. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
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