Written by: Niroshini Mather
To wrap up the first month of QWOCC’s book club, I thought I would share a few of my own thoughts on “A Good Wife” by Samra Zafar & Meg Masters.
What do you think motivated the author to share her story?
I believe there could be many reasons behind the author’s decision to share her story. Part of her underlying motivation may have been founded on the recognition that sharing her personal experience with domestic violence could serve as the needed inspiration for other women, facing similar circumstances, to leave their abusive relationships. Moreover, considering the social stigmatization of domestic violence has often caused survivors to associate their experiences with “shame”, taking ownership of one’s own story could serve as an empowering act of reclamation. Overall, it is important to recognize the courage and strength it took for the author to come forward and share this personal novel, especially when considering the topic of domestic violence is often addressed “behind closed doors” within many South Asian cultures.
Over the past few years, many culture commentators have suggested we are witnessing a “memoir explosion”. Why do you think this genre has become so popular, for both readers & writers?
I believe the recent “memoir explosion” is understandable when considering this genre was the foundation from which storytelling was created. Sharing stories of personal experiences was employed by many early cultures as a reliable method of knowledge transmission across generations. Moreover, we must recognize the realm of literature has also been subject to colonization and continually prioritizes stories from a euro-centric narrative. The memoir genre can serve as a meaningful avenue through which we can not only encourage BIPOC authorship, but also readily incorporate their experiences and insights into everyday literature.
What was your biggest takeaway from hearing this story?
Overall, I believe my biggest takeaway from Samra’s story is how resilient women are. As a member of the South Asian community myself, I recognize the general reaction to domestic violence is none at all. Many women remain in their relationships in fear of evoking dishonor on their families or how disrupting the family structure may affect their children, amongst other factors. I know within my own community; this exists not just as an unspoken rule. Rather, there were many scenes from early Tamil films that normalized behaviors I can now recognize as forms of abuse as well as responses of complacency. Within the Tamil community, this exists not just as an “unspoken rule”; there were many scenes from early Tamil films that normalized behaviors I can now recognize as forms of abuse. Thus, Samra’s novel is inherently powerful as it adds into cultural dialogue the story of a South Asian woman breaking free from this cycle and pursuing a path towards freedom, happiness, and self-ownership!
I hope everyone enjoyed this book as much as I did and feel free to share any thoughts in the comments below.
Stay tuned for our next book reveal!
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