Book: THE PATHS WE CHOOSE
Author: Monica Rana
Published by: Penguin
Price: Rs 499
Monica Rana’s book is a poetic, poignant, and pulsating story about two sisters against the backdrop of rising discontent in the heartland of Nepal. What begins as a simple tale of human relationships, unfolding in the midst of hills, mango forests, and winding tracks filled with future dreams, soon spirals into an ambience of perpetual fear, unrest, and uncertainty.
The two sisters, Sumnima and Rita, are separated owing to political circumstances. While both harbour deep love for each other in their hearts, they become distant and turn stone cold towards the path each has chosen. Sumnima joins a secret rebel group acting in opposition to the regime of 2001, collecting funds and undergoing military training to overthrow the system. Despite her strong commitment to the cause, she falters in the end, mirroring the fact that there are hidden agendas and power struggles at play even within acts of dissent.
Rita, on the other hand, has been portrayed as a hesitant heroine who is always in the process of becoming — a dreamer who gains courage as she goes with the flow. Appointed as a servant in a rich household, she not only uncovers the political complexities of the governmental forces but also forms bonds of female solidarity with strong characters like Kali, Rai Miss, and Ranisab. She would not have found her true voice without the care and the compassion of these characters,
The novel also reveals the patriarchal violence that is frequently inflicted upon the women of Rato Mato village. Be it domestic abuse or exploitation of labour, physical abandonment or emotional neglect, the burden of survival falls disproportionately on women even though the entire village functions on account of the unacknowledged labour of women. Here, women are deeply rooted to the land — toiling in the fields, gathering firewood, herding cattle, and doing household chores. Their nurturing roles not only keep families afloat but also entire ecosystems, thereby reflecting the subtle tropes of subsistence feminism. As the novel progresses, one cannot help but note the connections between the exploitation of women’s bodies and that of landscapes, forests, and other natural settings. Ecological and emotional degradation thus take place hand in hand. Rana’s narrative exposes a patriarchy that is not only deeply embedded but also intersectional, interweaving such issues as gender, poverty, caste, class, and the environment. Since one thing is intricately tied to another, it becomes increasingly difficult to create a world of love and peace. With time, however, traces of resistance emerge and female subjectivity gains narrative space.
In the Author’s Note, Rana acknowledges that although the characters are fictitious, her story is loosely based on actual events that transpired in Nepal during 2001-2002, a time that was popularly known as the Nepalese civil war and the royal massacre. Rana’s use of local, everyday language is not merely stylistic; it is also a political act of giving space to the subaltern voices without trying to sanitise them. Deceptively simple and unadorned, Rana uses quiet lyricism and evocative images to capture the internalised silences of women as well as their boldness, wherever required. The spirit of feminism is not overt here. It is subtle, hesitant, yet firm in its assertion. The image of the parrot with which the story ends stands as a strong metaphor for the womenfolk, especially the two sisters who are caught up in socio-political crises as well as personal upheaval. Just like the caged parrot which eventually found its way out, they too begin to stretch their wings in acts of quiet defiance, moving towards courage and freedom.
