✨Blog Tour✨: The Archer by Shruti Swamy This book was art. It reminded me of a painting with large brush strokes, sweeping lines, and abstract images. This book was about a young woman named Vidya, who is trying to embark on a life of her own. She doesn’t want to be shackled by the chains of tradition in her culture, but she also doesn’t want to be an outcast because of her ideas/behaviors. In India, there is a patriarchal society that is heavy handed on everything. Women are raised to be good daughters, wives, and mothers. Girls’ whole upbringing is designed to be conditioned for marriage life and motherhood. The women who are fortunate enough to be able to go to school or have a career are looked down upon. Employers view women as liabilities; knowing undoubtedly that the woman will leave upon marriage or motherhood, and thus do not hire them or give them meaningful jobs to sustain themselves. The book discusses several topics I thought were worthy of repeating: - Feminism and independence - Fighting/living with the patriarchy - Motherhood - Womanhood - Caste/class system (poverty vs. elitism) - Colorism - Sociatial pressures vs Cultural norms - Gender norms/roles - Self-care and mental health - Dysfunctional families - LGBT mentioned/alluded to but not explored I was impressed with Vidya’s persistence and I was hopeful for her as she learned about herself and what she wanted. I loved how she took the reins of her life and made her own way despite the chance and opportunity of a life of ease. She made a bold statement to people in her life; having her own independence was worth fighting for rather than giving in to tradition. I really enjoyed this book, as it provided a different tempo from what I normally read. This book was like a complicated dance, a form of abstract art, and beautifully written and immersive. Thank you to Algonquin Books, Libro.FM for the listen, and the author Shruti Swamy for this book in exchange for a fair and honest opinion. #thearcher #blogtour #shrutiswamy #algonquinbooks #librofm @algonquinbooks @librofm @workmanaudio https://www.instagram.com/p/CTp8pZNhc1Q/?utm_medium=tumblr