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This was very beautiful. Your descriptions are so great, what a perfect way to set up a scene both spatially and emotionally - describing what it feels like Apparating for Padma. I am so in love with Padma already. Her wearing those jeans and a leather jacket, I am imagining her as so badass and edgy I'm falling over here. <3
Some of your expressions were so so good at conveying the atmosphere: Their gazes, like the heat, weighed down on her like a heavy blanket. and also
The whole flat felt vaguely familiar, so close—like a word on the tip of her tongue.
The part with Padma walking into the building and up to the apartmen is great for the pacing, there's a certain tension to it and a mystery, why is she here, what will she find, and you give us vague hints but I'm glad we don't get the whole story with all the details, rather an impression of them. I then loved when parvati arrived, and especially how you introduced her into the scene: convinced that she’d conjured her from the pain of missing her so much - that's so beautifully written.
It was so easy to get lost in their conversation, you conveyed their relationship and some of what was weighing on it really well, even if we don't know the whole story. You can still feel the sadness and pain from being separated, and the quick genuine joy upon reconnecting. It is so wonderfully soft I really can't describe how exactly it made me feel, but I'm so glad they're together now. I love that this entire piece is focused solely on them, their childhood memories and finding one another after the war and whatever separated them in the first place.
This was an amazing read, thank you. Can't wait to read the next one.
Eli
Howdy!
I was really impressed by the handling of the sisterly bond in this story. Obviously, as a male only child, I have to imagine it, but it came across as very authentic. I think Padma and Parvati also played their respective roles in the dynamic well which was part of the success of the characterization. Obviously Padma is the 'responsible' one, but we get to see the difference in that mentality outside versus its adaptation inside. She still wants to check on Parvati, but it quickly evolves from making sure she's okay for their parents, to making sure she's really okay period and truly reuniting.
I also think you picked the absolutely perfect title for the story. I don't know if you wrote or titled first, but regardless it ties everything together from Padma's literal need to reorient herself, to her cultural reorientation, to he reorientation (or at least rekindling) of her relationship with Parvati. I always think it's an exceptional skill to be able to weave the title in not once, but so thoroughly.
Props for proper use of not just one, but two semicolons!
Thanks for sharing!
Author's Response:Hi Kevin!
Thanks for the kind review! I'm really glad that the sisterly bond came across as authentic even for someone who doesn't have direct contextual awareness :) I was struck by your analysis of the bond, especially the evolution of Padma's 'responsibility', from an externally-driven obligation to the underlying intrinsic motivation. I think that's a nuance that I wasn't even aware of in my own fic, so it was cool to see that evolution pointed out.
I'm glad you thought the title was fitting! I'm always quite selective about titles and they're either one of the first or last things I come up with. In this case, I titled first, but definitely the incorporation of the title happened organically. For instance, I hadn't really intended for the Apparition scene at the beginning to establish the theme of reorienting, but after I wrote that, the rest of the fic seemed to be naturally framed by that theme. Thank you for your lovely compliments :)
Semicolons are my favorite punctuation! :D
Thank you for reading!
<3 Shreya
Hey!
This was such a cute piece. I really like how you played on the repercussion of the war. I thought Padma had a really strong thought process throughout the story, I love her internal conflict about her belonging. You said this fic was quite personal to you, I think I can tell about of a lot of the emotions feel very tangible to me. I loved the beginning when you link the physical feelings of apparation to her emotional state. I think that was really clever and effective storytelling.
I love the whole scene between the sisters. It was so sad that she had lost contact with her sister because she obviously really feels about her. I like the reason for parvati's departure though and I think her reasoning really makes sense. It must have been tough for everyone after the war though. I don't think there is something that makes people are connected than looking over old photos together.
I think there is something magical about remembering the past like that. The interaction between the sisters was so perfectly played. It was so heartfelt with such warmth. I think the way Padma describes her sister makes her seem like a really special person. She is at least very special to Padma. I really liked how you struck a little humour between the sisters too in their reunion. I'm really pleased that Parvati will be coming back to stay with Padma. I feel like they need each other. I think being twins that they really need each other. the connection between the sisters is beautiful. congratulations for your nomination, very well deserved!
Abbi xx
Author's Response:Hi Abbi! Thank you so much for your lovely review!
I'm super touched that the emotions in this fic come out clearly; you're right, they come from a deepy personal place, and I'm glad that the intensity of them is tangible. I also really loved your observation about how nothing brings people closer together than looking at old photos together; you're right--there's something magical about pictures that capture simpler times, and I'm sure that this effect is amplified even more after a war, when the beforetimes become all the more beautiful.
The last thing that I really loved about your review: the observation of how Padma's description of Parvati makes her seem like a really special person. I was really struck by this comment, because you're totally right--Padma talks about Parvati in a way that really shows how much she loves her, despite her many faults. It's hard to describe the process I went through when I was writing Padma's descriptions of Parvati, since so much of it is based on how I think of my sister. Thank you for this insightful comment!
This is was a very generous and kind review. Thank you so much! :)
Shreya
Hi, Shreya, Congrats on your nomination!
The large focus on apparition at the beginning really set the tone for Padma both physically and spiritually (not only how lost Padma feels, but how hard it is for her to acclimate herself to her surroundings, both instantly as with apparition and long-term as time without her sister.) I particularly liked the line her parents wrote to her about keeping an eye on her sister. Even if she doesn’t understand it completely, it was like her parents understood the deep connection between them and she just needed a little nudge to reconnection. Evidently Pavarti received one too.
The soul searching was well done as was the idea of being lost after the war although I do felt you could have touched upon it more. Nice light touch at the end to give us a ray of hope and smile for a brighter future for the twins.
Hello! Here for the CMDC review event :)
The Patil twins hold a special place in my heart, especially Padma, so I'm so excited to read this.
I love how you described her feelings of being disoriented. You don't just say "yeah, she couldn't get her bearings and almost got hit by a rickshaw driver." You really go deep into detail and bring up what she's thinking and what that makes her feel like and actually give us real, concrete examples of how she doesn't fit in. I really liked the puzzle piece metaphor and how you showed us that even something as simple as her clothes that let her blend in back home only add to her sense of being out of place.
Using the house to describe how the war and everything affected Padma was brilliant. It gave us such a nice contrast between how closed off she seemed to be and how the house all but welcomed her in and gave her back her sister. I don't think the scene would have worked nearly as brilliantly as it did had it been set anywhere else. It had to be in this warm, open, welcoming house filled to the brim with nothing but positive memories.
I love these two sisters so much and I nearly cried when Parvati said she missed Padma too. They didn't even need to interact that much for me to get a sense of just how much they love and care for each other. I didn't feel like I was being told that this was what their relationship is, but rather, I was allowed to actually see it for myself.
I can't wait to get to read more of these two in your other stories! Expect me to be back again very soon :)
SHREYA!!! <3 <3 <3
Why don't I stop by your AP more often??? I'm the worst... You, instead, are the best! <3 Btw, I'm here for your wishlist, happy holidays! ;)
I loved this! So, so, so much! It was so moving and sweet and wonderful! I love the way you depicted the two sisters' relationship, they obviously care so much about each other and it's such a delight to read! I also absolutely loved the theme of looking for a home... how you can often feel out of place and unsafe and how hard it can be to find a place where you actually belong... and the idea of reconnecting to your origins, too... it's all so incredibly beautiful and touching!
It's wonderful how Padma feels like a stranger when she first gets to India, coming from such a different reality, but still it immediately feels so welcoming. I loved the bit about the open doors and how it make her feel like she belongs there, like she's accepted. It's really beautiful! (I feel like I'm using the word beautiful too much, but, you know, it is...)
I love how different the personalities of Padma and Parvati are (very Ravenclaw-y and Gryffindor-y, or at least that's the vibe I got :P) but how well they fit together! I love their playful teasing! I love the old photographs and the dancing at the end and just about everything! <3 I also really loved the references to Parvati's travels, they sound like fun... I mean, the probably weren't since it was a looking-for-herself sort of thing, but still... I hope they'll travel around Europe together now!
This was such a delight to read! I'm really glad I picked this story because it made me so happy! <3
Snowball hug, lovely, and happy holidays again!
Chiara
Hi Shreya! Here for your review request!
This one-shot is jam-packed with feeling and is such a breath of fresh air, as I see so little written about the Patil sisters, especially devoted just to their relationship as sisters. I may have walked away from this one-shot with more questions than answers, but I suspect that may be intentional and I enjoy a good fic that doesn't tell you the entire story but just gives you a snapshot and a feeling. It makes me want to read more about them! I hope you write more about them in the future (or maybe you have? I'll have to go creep on your author page!) In particular I am very eager to know why only now, 2 years after the war, Padma or any other family members have returned to their home in India.
I appreciate that you have given the Patil twins distinct personalities. As much as I loved reading the delightful, extreme twinsie-ness of the Weasley twins, I did enjoy it when JKR indicated that the Patil twins wound up in different houses, so we saw a little glimpse there of a difference between them. The way you have written Padma strikes me as an old soul.
I think anyone who has ever experienced a period of awkwardness or estrangement from a once-close sibling can appreciate what you've written about here.
Thank you for making the review request, and I definitely look forward to reading more of your work!
Melanie
Hi Shreya! I’m here for part two of our review swap! I know I probably should have reviewed Reorienting before Untranslatable, but I was excited to read Untranslatable. So here we are!
I know you’re describing Jaipur, but the image I vividly pictured was Hyderabad. I lived with my uncle and auntie who lived there for a while and you pretty much nailed the lovely sense of home, you know?
I also feel Padma’s sense that she doesn’t belong. I have fond memories of India and the village I spent my first few years in, but when I step foot there now, I always feel out of place. I technically know these people, but I think by now they view me as the outsider, call me an American girl even though I’m just as much a part of the family as my parents clearly think I am.
Also, I’m not sure what season it is you’re writing in, but let’s be real, it’s always hot in India with the exception of some monsoon seasons. What is Padma doing wearing all black? (I know I’d do it for the aesthetic, but I think I’d give up very soon, lmao.)
Padma is still bitter that Parvati left, but there is some longing there, I think. This was just after the war, correct? I think Padma is the type of person who’d want to cope with the aftermath of war by staying closer to her family, which includes Parvati, but it’s clear that Parvati had a different way of dealing with these sorts of things. To Padma, I know to her it seems like Parvati ran away. That’s a hard thing to cope with, knowing your sister doesn’t want to be with her family for recovery, and although I already know the ending, they clearly love each other too much to let go of an anchor they had their whole lives. Like you said, things can be transformed into something new and whole again and relationships may not be what they were before, but they can be mended and be stronger than before, you know?
The ending was perfect, like an emotional release! There are still some kinks to work out in their relationship, but the point at which the fic ended—it was easy to realize that both Padma and Parvati are willing to work to get back to that place of closeness, you know? I really appreciated it.
I don’t really think much about the Patil twins too much, and if I ever feel the need to read a fic centering them, the fic in question doesn’t really do their characters justice, or maybe glosses over the importance of their culture in molding their personalities (because even in me—who has gotten more disenchanted with the culture—there is very clearly an influence of some of the Indian values in my character), and you really give these two girls such dimension, which is a lot more than I can say for their portrayal in the movies and books. I do hope you keep writing about these two girls, because they’re such a lovely portrayal of culture that doesn’t make me want to rip my heart out. (Well, this fic did rip my heart out, but in a good way.)
Also a little bit weirdly, I’m interested to see what kind of ideas you have about how Indian culture and magic would weave together, if at all.
Anyways, thank you for writing this! xx
Hi, Shreya! I'm here with your requested review!
This story explored so many themes in such a strikingly beautiful way. Familial relationships, cultural differences, and humans' yearning for a sense of belonging can be such complex, delicate things, but you tackled them here gracefully. This was an excellent portrayal of sisterhood and how such a bond can change throughout the years, especially in the aftermath of a traumatic event (in this case, the Second Wizarding War). It's a common misconception that families become closer after something painful occurs, but that's not always the case. I like the way you illustrated Padma and Parvati as having very different responses to the war and, therefore, needing to cope differently. For Parvati, that seemed to be getting far away from England and the memories for a while, but Padma felt the need to stick closer to her family, her roots. I think this is realistic given the way you've written their personalities, and though I understand why Padma was angry with Parvati (I mean, she could have visited!), she seemed to reluctantly understand and accept that her sister had different needs. And I think that's lovely! Despite their differences, there's obviously a lot of love there and they have a strong connection.
I love the way you described Padma's feelings when returning to her family's home in India. It's where she's from, yet it clearly feels so foreign to her, and it almost feels symbolic of how her childhood innocence is completely gone. She's hardened now, and tough, not at all like the gate that opens so easily. I also really loved your use of color to show how she's an "outsider" in both of her homes. In England, she's singled out and ostracized because of the color of her skin. In India, she gets weird looks because of the color (er, lack of color) she wears. It was a very poignant depiction of someone who's trapped between two cultures/worlds, making her feel like she doesn't truly belong in either.
I think you chose a superb title for this story as well. You use the word in the literal sense in the very first line when discussing Padma's challenges with Apparating. However, it permeates throughout the entire story in so many different ways. Padma's reorienting herself with her family, her home (both in a literal and figurative sense), her past, and even her future. She's reorienting herself and how she fits into the world. It even applies to Parvati, who's also trying to navigate the complexity of life. I'm a sucker for a good title, and I found this one to be extremely fitting without being too on-the-nose, if you know what I mean.
Your writing itself is absolutely stunning. You always manage to be very descriptive without getting too flowery. Nothing felt contrived here, and I was completely hooked with every word.
Excellent work! Thanks for stopping by my thread! :)
Cheers,
Reilly
hey shreya, i'm here for our swap ^_^
soooo you mentioned in the review you left me how much sisterly relationships mean to you and wow, it’s very obvious in this story – and i mean that in an extremely good way! you know how to write the sibling relationship so so well – it’s always apparent the love padma feels for her sister (and the painful longing because of their separation…), i basically had a smile on my face the whole time that i was reading this. i don’t know much about sisterly relationships, but i doubt they’re too different than any sibling relationship – my brother means the world to me and i can’t imagine how i would feel in padma’s shoes, worrying about parvati, wondering where she is, why she’s not home, why she doesn’t visit (even though i’m sure she suspects the reason why…and she knows her sister so well that of course she does suspect – she basically finishes her sentence for her!)
i loved the description of padma’s feelings when she first apparates to jaipur and how she feels as if she doesn’t belong, as if she’s ‘almost right but no quite’ – i think there’s something so realistic about that, especially when you think on how different life was for her in london, with the war and the fear…and then she comes to her childhood home and it’s welcoming her back with open arms (figuratively :P) and yet…until parvati appears, she’s still trying to figure out her place. i love the interaction between the sisters, the immediate relief and happiness (with a little bit of anger at the lack of communication – which is understandable). their joking around, the little jibes, it was all wonderful to read :D
i also loved (can i say ‘loved’ in a review too many times? i don’t think so because this story deserves all the love) how both padma and parvati are similar to a degree but they’re not carbon copies, though it’s incredible the connection they share, and even though their personalities are different, they still have the same/similar sense of humour, the inside jokes (especially joking about their mother – because who doesn’t love to do that with their siblings? :D). i feel like this review is entirely too rambly but i just…the whole story is just a little over 2k but you manage to convey so many emotions, so much backstory in it that i’m overwhelmed by your writing – it’s amazing!
the ending was perfect, really, the two of them going home together is so natural and parvati seems like she’s ready to let herself come home, finally, after years of wandering about and feeling lost after the war.
kris
Author's Response:HI KRIS! Thank you so much for leaving this lovely, lovely review; I'm going to try my hardest to provide coherent responses that aren't just, you know, squealing with joy haha.
I'm so relieved that I was able to communicate how amazing sibling relationships can be (I feel they are criminally underappreciated in fics, honestly). I was drawing a lot from my relationship with my twin sister, so I'm really glad that that love was communicated well. I also drew from my relationship with my older brother, and I think you're right--there's something common about the type of love that exists between siblings that are close (though I do think that twin sisters, specifically, have a very different kind of love--but that might be my own bias haha).
Ahhhh you picked up on so many of the things I was trying to do with the description of Jaipur and the contrast between her home in London and her home in Jaipur. I loved that line--"it's welcoming her back with open arms" because that is exactly what I was trying to say! And yes, you're totally right, Parvati is an essential part of that welcoming, and she was a lot of the reason I put so much effort into the intiial description of the setting and the feelings of lostness. I'm really glad that all of that really resounded with you!
Omgggg. you're like one of the first reviewers that has actually commented on the relationship between Padma and Parvati, which means SO much to me. As a twin, I'm too used to being called a carbon copy of my sister, so I tried really hard to make the differences between them clear (and I'm definitely planning on expounding upon that more in future fics). I'm also so glad that you liked the inside jokes :') My sister and I joke about our mother too hehe so that was a bit of a self insert.
Omg T_T I'm so honored that you're impressed with your writing because I look up to you as a writer so much?? Especially when it comes to conveying emotion, like that's crazy. I'm so glad that the backstory was conveyed and built properly. TBH 2k was real tough with this because there was so much more that I wanted to say about their relationship, but I think ultimatley it was a nice introduction into a very complicated relationship.
The ending was perfect?? Ahhhhh that's so relieving. I honestly feel like there's a sense of incompleteness to the ending, but I'm so glad that it didn't feel like that to you, and that it felt natural. I also really like the way that you framed the ending, like Parvati had to allow herself to come home. I think I was definitely playing with elements of choice, or lack thereof, in this chapter, because I think, in part, the choice to stay away from home was made for Parvati--and then in part, it was entirely her own choice. So I really like that nuance :D
I feel like this review response has been largely repetitive and meaningless hahaha T_T But thank you thank you thank you for this review! This fic is obviously very very personal to me, and I'm so glad that you were able to connect to it on some personal level <3
Hey hey hey - I was so so excited to see you asking about review swaps because, honestly, I'm terrible at spontaneously reviewing and I love any excuse to come back to your page :P
I wanna say first of all that I was so so struck by how you described apparition at the beginning of this. It was just... apparition happens in so many fics but I've never seen it described anything like that and I loved it so so much. There was something so lovely and so simple about how you mentioned how Padma struggles to work out how she fits into the new place she's apparated to after everything has settled around her with vision, hearing, etc. It was so... obvious is the wrong word, but it felt obvious - like I should have thought of it like that before, yk? But it was so striking and it was such a great touch, as well: it's a brilliant metaphor for Padma's internal struggles at the beginning and her feelings in general about Jaipur v London - how London's difficult, racist and violent; whereas Jaipur's happy and sweet and light: but then she feels out of place in Jaipur.
All of Padma's feelings about belonging in this are so complex and so heartbreaking and so well written. Like, I can feel what she's feeling; I can start to understand that kind of sense of displacement and lack of belonging - because your writing is so vivid and so honest and so wonderfully descriptive, as well you know ;) I love as well how Padma's feeling of belonging is in some way rooted in her family, especially her sister. How they fit together and belong together - whether that's in Jaipur or London or Paris. And there's something so beautiful and simple about that idea that I just love it - however cheesy it may be (though I don't think you could ever write anything cheesy, tbh). Maybe it especially touches me because I've got two little sisters (twins, as it happens :P) so this makes me think of them and how it would be if I ever moved away as I want to - but either way, it's wonderful and it's so real and it really, really touches me. As all your writing does.
I love your Padma as well (if you ever wrote more of the Patil twins, I think I'd never leave your page? :P): there's something vulnerable and tough about her and I love the sense that her all-black outfit with the leather jacket is in part a way to blend in and hide, but is also a statement that she's tough - though when it comes to Parvati and their family, she's not so tough, not really. And the way Padma and Parvati have this really complex, caring and loving, but at times antagonistic and rocky relationship: when they don't talk, they struggle at times; but when they talk, they can understand each other so well. It's so so well done - sometimes I struggle with sibling-based fics when you can tell that the author isn't a sibling and doesn't quite get how it works - but ahhhhh it's just so so good. It reminds me so much of my siblings: how they argue so much and disagree over things and often get aggressive with each other over stuff but ultimately, ultimately, that matters less than the fact that they're sisters and twins and they do love each other. Behhh this is making me wanna hug my sisters :P
You know I love your writing and it's just so so good. As always. You have such a skill, such a real talent with just everything. There is nothing, it seems, in writing that you struggle with and you have this real ability which I love to get across often really difficult, complex experiences in such beautiful, simple ways, which make other people - like me - who might not understand them at all (because obviously I, as a white woman, can't understand not belonging in the way that Padma feels it) understand them and connect them to things we do understand and do feel and it's just so so good. There are professional authors who could take lessons from you on this :P
As always, I love this and I love you and I'm so so glad to see you back <3
Laura xx
Hi Shreya, I’m here for our swap (and also RvG June 2019, Team Red)! :)
You say in your author’s note that this is a self-insert fic, but when I was reading it I felt that it was really a great example of writing what you know.
I loved the opening line and the subsequent explanation of Padma’s difficulty orienting herself after Apparating somewhere. It makes a lot of sense to me that not all witches and wizards would get used to the physical side-effects of Apparation—the same way some people get car-sick no matter how many times they are in a car. The way you compare this difficulty to how Padma is feeling in her life at this time is moving, too.
She must be terribly hot dressed as she is in a biker jacket and black jeans. Your descriptions of Jaipur are wonderful—really all your descriptions in this story are. I felt as though I could see everything in my mind’s eye.
There were so many wonderful phrases in this story. I particularly liked “Their gazes, like the heat, weighed down on her like a heavy blanket.”
I find it interesting that Padma is so surprised that she can easily enter her family’s home in Jaipur. Why is she surprised? Is the security usually tighter, or is she simply used to living in England? Or is it that she endured the war and that awful seventh year at Hogwarts? Or maybe all of it. I did like when she reflects on how she’s read too many stories in the papers about people getting killed in their houses, and so she has to lock the doors. It reminded me of going to my grandmother’s house—where she never locks her doors—after I had lived in the big city, under triple lock and key.
When you reveal that Padma hasn’t seen her twin sister Pavarti in so long, I understand why Padma is feeling so disorienting. It seems like Pavarti is having a hard time finding her way as well, but, since Pavarti isn’t even really speaking to Padma at this point, it must feel like a terrible rejection. I was delighted when Pavarti also showed up at the family home and that the two twins have a moment to reconnect.
I thought this moment was tender and well paced. It makes sense to me that Padma would put up a cold front at first because she is the sister who was left behind. But I’m glad that it doesn’t take Pavarti very long to break down that wall. I’m also glad that the two of them will be living together back in London and I hope that they will be able to navigate this post-war world together. This scene was so sweet—really this whole story was. The last line in particular gave me a very warm, fuzzy feeling. :D I'm so excited that you will be writing more about these two characters!
I really enjoyed this story! Thank you for the swap!
Yours,
Noelle
Shreya! I'm writing this on my tiny phone keyboard so this won't be much of a review, but I saw this in the recent page and since it's been so long since I've read any of your wonderful writing, I had to check this out! Your writing really is stunning here, and this piece in particular brings up so many emotions for me, particularly in how both of them are searching for the feeling of home. I'm so glad she found a sense of belonging at the end, it feels so fulfilling. Also this line : "The whole flat felt vaguely familiar, so close—like a word on the tip of her tongue." Is so beautiful and I absolutely love your writing!! <3333
Shreya!!
You’re so wonderful in your writing, and since I haven’t been around for a while, it’s been many many months (perhaps even a year?) since I’ve read anything of yours. And so reading “reorienting” was really refreshing! It reminded me of why I loved your writing style so much (and still do), so it’s really the perfect piece to get me back into reviewing.
I don’t really know what to say. (Yet I have a feeling this review is going to go on and on because that’s how these things go sometimes haha.) When I was done reading this I felt overwhelmed by all the feelings that this simple piece on sisterly love gave me, and it struck me that this is your specialty—you write beautiful non-romantic relationships and convey the tenderness within them. While I, when I write things, always default to romantic/plot-driven stories as a surefire way to get myself excited about the story (this is not a foolproof way of doing things haha), you always grip me with your character explorations and honest language. And this piece is no different! I love the relationship you’ve created between Padma and Parvati, how everything that Padma feels about her sister is genuine and touching, how she thinks fondly upon pictures of their childhood and that’s when Parvati appears.
You’re such an amazing person, you know; you’re thoughtful, and kind, and you have a great capacity for empathy and love, I think, and I know this from talking to you, but also because it really shines through in your writing. And I think that comes through especially clearly through your portrayal of Padma—at the end, you said this was a self-insert fic, but it’s so astonishing to me because most self-inserts that I’ve read have been in some way romantic. But you focus on a sisterly relationship in this story, which is beautiful and heartwarming and makes me want to hug you for writing such a wonderful work for us, haha. But anyway, all throughout this story, Padma is rightfully frustrated and angry with Parvati for abandoning her during Parvati’s exploration of the world (and search for a home), but Padma is never at any point malicious towards her sister. Angry and accusatory, sure, but that’s to be expected, and it’s just so great to be able to read a character who still loves her sister very much, despite her voluntary absence, and doesn’t just allow her emotions to swallow her reason.
I love the way you talk about culture, too. Like, it’s perfect and relatable and I think that’s about as eloquent as I’ll be about it. I just love it. You should just immediately send me anything you write that talks about feeling displaced culturally, haha.
Also!! The baby photos!!! Is the first baby photo mentioned in the story (the one with the book) also based on a real picture? If so, that must be the absolute cutest picture ever (next to, of course, the actual absolute cutest picture ever, which is the one where you and your sisters are babies dressed in saris being adorable). It was so touching when Parvati softened looking at the baby photo, saying that it was her favorite picture. Ugh I love it so much. YOU ARE TOO GOOD.
I think your writing is a force to be reckoned with. I’m just imagining you writing a longer piece (like a novella maybe) where you incorporate all these elements from your shorter pieces in addition to a plot that I’m sure will be amazing, and I am already dying with excitement. Not that I’m trying to pressure you or anything hahaha but! if you do write one, I will review every chapter with great enthusiasm.
ANYWAY I LOVE YOU. I LOVE THIS STORY. THANK YOU FOR INFORMING ME OF ITS EXISTENCE. <3
Eva
Hi Shreya! Here for our swap!
While I love your poetry, I hope you don't mind me choosing this, especially since it has no reviews on it yet. I've been wanting to read this since I saw you tweeting about writing it and this was such a wonderful and warm story - I have lots of fuzzy feelings from it!
This was such a clever, layered story - I'm so impressed by it. I've read it through a couple of times before reading this review and each time spot something new or make a new connection that I hadn't before. I think that's just a testament to the intelligence of your writing and I've really missed reading this!
The opening tied in really clearly with the title, the way that Padma had to reorient herself physically and mentally after apparating, but it stood for so much more than that throughout the story. The way that she had to reorient herself when she was moved between cultures, between homes, and the way that she had to reorient herself when she was reunited with Parvati and was recovering that relationship, too.
Your description in this piece was wonderful, and I loved the richness that you painted the scenes with. I could really picture all of the colours and details as Padma emerged outside her "other" home and then went inside to explore and carry out the tasks that she'd been given by her parents.
I loved the way that you used something so seemingly simple as colour to start exploring the way that Padma was caught between two cultures, and that the outfit that she was wearing was a physical marker of that. That theme recurred throughout this piece, in the way that the house looked so similar to the one she was used to in London and yet the subtle differences reminded her it wasn't the same, and the easy trust with which it opened its gates... the contrasts were really subtle but at the same time they really highlighted the conflicts and contrasts that Padma feels within her own life, and it was fascinating to see all of those associations crammed into Padma's life and her trying to find a way to reconcile them.
Reading this, it really felt like Padma's life is a constant act of reorienting herself to the world around her. In England, she stands out because of the colour of her skin; in India, because of the colour (or lack of) of her clothes. The house where she lives in England is the one where she's spent most time, yet it's in a country that's become so hostile; the house in Jaipur is welcoming and warm and yet it feels almost too trusting because of the things that Padma has lived through and seen.
The reunion with Parvati was so wonderful. I could really feel Padma's pain as she thought about her sister going away and not staying in touch, and I don't think I've ever read a situation like that with the Patil twins before, so it felt like a very original portrayal of their relationship. But I really loved that, even though they'd both been hurting so much, once they came back together and were looking through old photos of themselves, some of that pain instantly lifted. And some of the uncertainty and confusion lifted, too, as if the other is home... a sort of anchor, someone who's been through the same and can understand those differences that we see throughout this story. I thought it was so nice to see how close they are, despite everything, and I loved this portrayal of their relationship.
I think that both Parvati and Padma have experienced the same feelings, that difficulty of (re)orienting themselves in the world after the things that they've experienced and the different cultures which have influenced their upbringing - Parvati by running away to try and find somewhere that felt like home and Padma by holding on and trying to create a place that felt like home. The chapter title "home, a transitive" just really felt like it captured those two attempts to have a proper home and their approaches - and even though those approaches are different, they lead them back to each other, which feels like the closest thing to home either of them can hope for at the moment.
This review feels a bit too rambly but if you couldn't tell, I really loved this piece and would love to read more about Padma and Parvati in the future!
Sian :)
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