Review by srensch1 -- Elastic Girl by Olivia Rana
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Review by srensch1 -- Elastic Girl by Olivia Rana
[Following is a volunteer review of "Elastic Girl" by Olivia Rana.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Olivia Rana’s Elastic Girl: Wonderful For All But Abusive Men
Olivia Rana’s Elastic Girl is about rape, molestation, cruelty, prostitution, extraordinary poverty, government corruption and insensitivity, and death. It is also about kindness, loyalty, perseverance, courage, and the feminine spirit. But above all, it is about a young girl’s struggle to find an identity and purpose that will sustain her in an otherwise dark world.
Muthu is the protagonist’s name. When we first meet her, she is 11-years-old, small, homely, but full of life. The name “Muthu” means one who thinks of others before herself and who gets in a lot of trouble. From the outset, Muthu lives up to her name. Even though her family has relegated her to a secondary place, she is loving toward everyone, but everything she touches seems to go wrong.
However, in the course of one of her escapades-gone-wrong, she discovers something remarkable about herself. After falling into a swampy pool that pulls her under like quicksand, she somehow escapes through a vent so small that even cats and rats would struggle with it. When people found out how she had escaped, they were in awe and dubbed her “Elastic Girl”. From that point on, her life became about crawling into very small spaces for the entertainment of others, who would then pay small sums of money.
But Muthu’s family remained desperately poor, and finally, Muthu’s father, who she adored, took her to a circus traveling through town and arranged for Muthu to go with the circus for several years, on an indentured servant basis, in which the family got a monthly salary. At first, this arrangement felt to Muthu like a godsend because she could use the circus to become a star. In fact, however, the circus became a nightmare for her.
Over the course of Muthu’s next three years, she experienced physical beating, sexual assault, involuntary prostitution, and physical injury. In every case, the pain came as a result of betrayal by a man she had trusted. And just as painful for Muthu, she had to watch the two women friends with whom she had bonded be destroyed, first spiritually and then physically, by these same experiences.
Did Muthu eventually attain the identity and purpose she hoped for? Did she ever find out the reason why she was always the black sheep? I could tell you, but then you might not read the book, and I want you to read the book. It is a good one. The story moves quickly and smoothly. Ms. Rana’s writing style is unpretentious and fat-free. And without speechifying, she makes some substantial points about the treatment of women which I will not soon forget.
Elastic Girl is a success on every level, and I give it 4 stars out of 4.
Steve Rensch
******
Elastic Girl
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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4 out of 4 stars
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Olivia Rana’s Elastic Girl: Wonderful For All But Abusive Men
Olivia Rana’s Elastic Girl is about rape, molestation, cruelty, prostitution, extraordinary poverty, government corruption and insensitivity, and death. It is also about kindness, loyalty, perseverance, courage, and the feminine spirit. But above all, it is about a young girl’s struggle to find an identity and purpose that will sustain her in an otherwise dark world.
Muthu is the protagonist’s name. When we first meet her, she is 11-years-old, small, homely, but full of life. The name “Muthu” means one who thinks of others before herself and who gets in a lot of trouble. From the outset, Muthu lives up to her name. Even though her family has relegated her to a secondary place, she is loving toward everyone, but everything she touches seems to go wrong.
However, in the course of one of her escapades-gone-wrong, she discovers something remarkable about herself. After falling into a swampy pool that pulls her under like quicksand, she somehow escapes through a vent so small that even cats and rats would struggle with it. When people found out how she had escaped, they were in awe and dubbed her “Elastic Girl”. From that point on, her life became about crawling into very small spaces for the entertainment of others, who would then pay small sums of money.
But Muthu’s family remained desperately poor, and finally, Muthu’s father, who she adored, took her to a circus traveling through town and arranged for Muthu to go with the circus for several years, on an indentured servant basis, in which the family got a monthly salary. At first, this arrangement felt to Muthu like a godsend because she could use the circus to become a star. In fact, however, the circus became a nightmare for her.
Over the course of Muthu’s next three years, she experienced physical beating, sexual assault, involuntary prostitution, and physical injury. In every case, the pain came as a result of betrayal by a man she had trusted. And just as painful for Muthu, she had to watch the two women friends with whom she had bonded be destroyed, first spiritually and then physically, by these same experiences.
Did Muthu eventually attain the identity and purpose she hoped for? Did she ever find out the reason why she was always the black sheep? I could tell you, but then you might not read the book, and I want you to read the book. It is a good one. The story moves quickly and smoothly. Ms. Rana’s writing style is unpretentious and fat-free. And without speechifying, she makes some substantial points about the treatment of women which I will not soon forget.
Elastic Girl is a success on every level, and I give it 4 stars out of 4.
Steve Rensch
******
Elastic Girl
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like srensch1's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: A Second, Less Capable Head by James Hanna
