A sensitive portrayal of the lives of sex workers

Rijula Das’s debut novel has all the elements of a thriller and the traditional paraphernalia of a sex worker’s love story.

This debut novel by Rijula Das must be remembered for the character of Lalee, who is nothing like Anna Karenina, Emma, or Lolita—all three represent the immoral women in European literature. The remarkable thing about Lalee is the defiance that surpasses both her desire to be accepted and her desire to be loved. For Lalee, living comes before love and safety before money. She wants dignity as much as she wants food and protection from the wounds of her ‘sinful’ profession.