Wild Boar in the Cane Field: A NovelOne day, a baby girl, Tara, is found, abandoned and covered in flies. She is raised by two mothers in a community rife with rituals and superstition. As she grows, Tara pursues acceptance at all costs. Saffiya, her adoptive mother, and Bhaggan, Saffiya’s maidservant, are victims of the men in their community, and the two women, in turn, struggle and live short but complicated lives. The only way for the villagers to find solace is through the rituals of ancient belief systems. Tara lives in a village that could be any village in South Asia, and she dies, like many young women in the area, during childbirth. Her short life is dedicated to her efforts to find happiness, despite the fact that she has no hope of going to school or making any life choices in the feudal, patriarchal world in which she finds herself. Poignant and compelling, Wild Boar in the Cane Field depicts the tragedy that often characterizes the lives of those who live in South Asia—and demonstrates the heroism we are all capable of even in the face of traumatic realities. |
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Amman Bhaggan asked baby bangles began Bibi Saffiya bidi boar body braid breath brother buffalo canal cane fields chador chameli garland charpoy close clothes continued cooking corner couldn’t courtyard covered daughter dolls door dopatta dung earrings eyes father felt flies flowers garlic girl glass hair Hamida hand head heard henna Holy Book husband inside Jannat kameez kitchen knew laughed lentils looked Maalik Maria marriage married massage maulvi meal meat midwife morning needed never night paratha picked prayer pulled responded returned roti Saffiya’s house Saffiya’s room Sain Makhianwala Shahida shalwar shalwar kameez shrine silent sitting smell smiled stared stay Stella stood stop straightened Sultan bhai Taaj Taaj’s talk tandoor Tara Tara’s tell There’s thought told took village women waiting walked wanted washed wedding wife wild boar wiped woman you’re Zakia Zakia’s nephew