Divided into three parts and an epilogue, it is about an elderly woman, referred to as Ma (Hindi designation for mother), an octogenarian who has recently lost her husband and sunk into depression despite a large brood of children and grandchildren showering “bucketloads of compassion” on her. Unbeknown to her family, Ma suddenly rises from her state of samadhi (a Hindi expression for a meditative trance) holding a cane. Through the imagery surrounding the cane, magically conjuring rainbow butterflies in a dreamlike haze, the novel transforms the cane into a symbol of agency and resistance, strengthening Ma’s determination to cross all the boundaries that have held her dreams and desires hostage. In course of time, Ma becomes an embodiment of rebuttal, healing her internal ruptures through small but culturally powerful acts of dissent whereby the “tale of a dying woman evolves into a story about her thriving and flourishing.” The novel is “soaked up in the stuff” but also anchored in empathy and resilience.

Ma’s defiance grows over time, emerging from small acts such as turning her back literally and metaphorically towards her family, leaving the eldest son’s house and staying with her self-willed daughter, harboring motherly affection for a transgender person, and finally, going to Pakistan without a visa. These acts unfold within the framework of emotional healing that entails transgressions- physical, metaphorical, emotional, societal. The novel ends with Ma’s death right after she unites with her first husband, Anwar in Pakistan. In the following pages, this essay will explore in detail the symbolic and narrative elements of the novel that mediate between rupture, resilience and freedom.

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