Book Review: Love the Dark Days by Ira Mathur
1 min read
Namrata reviews Ira Mathur’s Love the Dark Days (Published by Speaking Tiger, 2024) admiring the journey of self-discovery and the complexities of the inner and outer worlds that Mathur explores in her memoir.
Ira Mathur’s Love the Dark Days is a compelling memoir that explores the intricate intersections of identity, race, class, and family dynamics. Set across multiple continents—India, England, and the Caribbean—spanning from the 1970s to 2017, this book is a vivid portrayal of a woman’s journey to understand herself and the world around her.
The Narrative
The narrative revolves around Poppet, a young girl of mixed Hindu-Muslim heritage, whose life is shaped by the complex histories of her family and the colonial and postcolonial landscapes in which she lives. Poppet’s story is deeply rooted in her relationship with her maternal grandmother, Burrimummy, a figure who embodies the contradictions of an aristocratic Muslim family that once colluded with the British Empire. Through Burrimummy, Poppet inherits not only the prejudices of class and race but also a sense of alienation, exacerbated by her darker skin tone and the conditional affection of those around her.
