A Peoples' History of Heaven - Mathangi Subramanian Book Tour

A Peoples’ History of Heaven by Mathangi Subramanian

Release Date: March 19, 2019. Preorder it here.

Synopsis:

In the tight-knit community known as Heaven, a ramshackle slum hidden between luxury high-rises in Bangalore, India, five girls on the cusp of womanhood forge an unbreakable bond. Muslim, Christian, and Hindu; queer and straight; they are full of life, and they love and accept one another unconditionally. Whatever they have, they share. Marginalized women, they are determined to transcend their surroundings.

 

When the local government threatens to demolish their tin shacks in order to build a shopping mall, the girls and their mothers refuse to be erased. Together they wage war on the bulldozers sent to bury their homes, and, ultimately, on the city that wishes that families like them would remain hidden forever.

Source: Received an egalley from Algonquin

A Peoples’ History of Heaven is written beautifully with an astonishing poeticism. When I first opened this book, one of the first things that struck me was how clear it was that the author had paid clear and close attention to the sounds of her sentences. I immediately wondered if this book had been written by a poet. There is a unique quality to the sentences in this book. Subramanian comes up with the types of phrases that feel entirely new, like something I’ve never heard before, and strike an emotional chord even when describing a minute detail of the city the girls live in.

This book is absolutely character-driven which is the exact sort of thing I look for in a book. No matter how a book or show is written, compelling characters will pull me in every time. Luckily for me and all of you, Subramanian combines compelling characters with beautiful, lyrical writing. Her language reminds me of the sort of writer I will never become, but the type I wish I were.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was how it focuses so closely and intimately on this group of women and girls. I really appreciate that even though it’s told from the perspective of these young girls, but through their eyes, we get an intimate portrait of the adult women in their lives, too. Most of the women in their lives don’t get to have their own voice and construct their own lives and it’s so wonderful to see these mothers and teachers try to give this opportunity to their daughters, or fall short of that because they see that as the best way to protect their daughters. It was also really heart-wrenching at times the way these girls are consistently underestimated and devalued by the system they live in. This is a gorgeous book whose language and characters will grip you and you should pick it up when it’s released in March.