Review by Phatpat -- Elastic Girl by Olivia Rana

Phatpat · Post by **Phatpat** » 23 Jul 2018, 09:59

[Following is a volunteer review of "Elastic Girl" by Olivia Rana.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Review of Elastic Girl by Olivia Rana

Elastic Girl by Olivia Rana is a moving story, set in India. Told from the point of view of ten-year old Muthu Tikaram, it describes how the little girl copes with a life of poverty and despair, dealing with the harsh reality of the hand fate has dealt her.

Muthu’s birth coincided with the Tikaram family suffering great disgrace and resultant hardship. Thereafter, her grandmother bitterly blamed all the family’s problems on the baby girl, declaring her to be cursed and evil.

Muthu’s parents, too, treat her differently to her sisters. Despite the family’s abject poverty, the two older girls attend school, while Muthu is a street vendor, selling her mother’s roti bread.

Muthu gets nicknamed ’Elastic Girl’ after she demonstrates how she can contort her tiny, supple body to fit into impossibly small spaces. Her skill gets her the admiration and attention she longs for, but her father sees it as a way to rescue the destitute Tikaram family from its financial problems. He takes her to the circus, signs a five year contract for her to be trained as a circus performer and abandons her there.

One by one we meet Muthu’s fellow circus performers, some even younger than she is. As each person tells their life story, it soon becomes apparent that they all have one thing in common – most of them see the circus as an escape from an even bleaker poverty-stricken past life.

The little girl’s training schedule is gruelling, but Muthu perseveres because she longs to be a star, like the Bollywood actors she admires. She believes that the circus training will help her achieve her aims and hopes her family will soon come to see her perform.

An older girl tries to advise the new trainee about potential problems. Muthu, despite her experience as a street vendor, remains an innocent and doesn’t understand the warnings. As a result she suffers one disillusionment and betrayal after the other and soon learns that the circus is a dangerous place to work.

I enjoyed Olivia Rana’s descriptions of India and indian people. The circus driving through the streets of Bangalore invoked particularly vivid images for me. I also thought it was a good idea to describe the magnificence of the Maharani’s palace and gardens. It showed the extremes – that in India there are those who are extravagantly rich and not just the impoverished masses.

I would have liked more of a description or explanation of some of the foods Muthu mentions, as I am ignorant of Indian cuisine. For instance, I always thought roti was a thin, hard wafer, but now I know it is soft, white bread.

At times, as the story of Elastic Girl unfolded, I found myself horrified by what I read. The story is fictional, but it exposes the very real problem of child trafficking in impoverished countries. Anyone reading it cannot help but be moved by it.

Even though I found it a harrowing read, I just couldn’t put the book down until I had finished it. I have no hesitation in giving Elastic Girl 4 out of 4 stars.

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Elastic Girl
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Abigail R · Post by **Abigail R** » 24 Jul 2018, 13:02

I really appreciate your review! I loved this book and also gave it 4 out of 4 stars. One thing I didn't take note of when I read this book was the description of the Maharani's Palace and the stark contrast between the palace and where Muthu is from. This does add depth to Muthu's story of coming from nothing while simultaneously craving grandeur and fame.

If you're interested, here's my review of Elastic Girl:
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