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Bishanu Ree: Many stories, one novel

On the last Sunday of February 2024, I had the privilege of assisting Pragya in launching her debut novel ‘Bishanu Ree’ at Max Webber Library, Blacktown. I knew that serious Nepali book lovers would take the novel as a refreshing treat. For book critics, it would be an interesting example to ponder and critique. For the author herself, it would be an experiment in Nepali literature.

The novel is a blend of multiple themes and unfolds a wide range of issues as readers turn the pages, such as socio-cultural injustice based on gender and caste, sexual abuse, mental health, violence, armed conflict and politics, love and betrayal, and the philosophy of life and death.

The author presents a series of sensitive stories – one after the another – as if weaving a yarn to give a pattern and shape. This could be taken as both a weakness and a strength of the author, as sometimes readers might get confused about the main story and lose track. However, the author successfully engrosses readers who enjoy the detailed and evolving process of the story itself.

There might be many occasions where readers can relate to the characters, incidents, issues, or emotions as they are carefully picked from real-life situations, like friendship, bullying and sexual abuse in school, issues in the education system, religion and superstition, discrimination based on cultural differences, women’s rights issues and motherhood, crises in humanity, and climate. This also raises an undeniable question about our relationship with trees and the environment.

The last chapter stands out as vital, dramatic, and shocking, where the author successfully ties together all previous loose details, subplots, and chapters into a single story. This chapter also justifies the title of the book ‘Bishanu Ree,’ which means ‘Virus Re’ in English. To know more about the story of unique flavor, I encourage you to get your copy.

Through the novel, the author explores the inner self and questions civilization from multiple perspectives, including spiritualism, psychoanalysis, feminism, ecology, and the environment. The author has successfully adapted the techniques of dream and surrealism. Despite there being room for improvement in the novel, I appreciate her artistic skills, thoughtfulness, and courage in capturing the panoramic scenario of life on a square-sized canvas. I look forward to reading more of her works that raise sensitive and universal issues of humankind.

Book Title: Bishanu Ree

Author: Pragya

Language: Nepali

Genre: Novel

Publisher: Samakalin Literary Academy, UK

Published Year: 2024

Price: NRS 275.00

Pages: 160