š š²šŗ #41: A heartbreaking Mauritian novel
Ananda Devi on being a teenager in Port-Louis
Welcome to Bookmarked, a weekly newsletter following my journey as I read one book from every country. If you like the sound of my project, Iād love it if you shared Bookmarked with a friend.
Ananda Deviās Eve out of Her Ruins tells a powerful and tragic story of four young Mauritians as they navigate the hopelessness and violence of life in Troumaron, an impoverished suburb of Port-Louis, whilst also exploring their self-identities and sexualities.
The bookās short chapters are narrated by its four teenage narrators, whose voices differ wildly from one another. First we meet Eve, a lonely seventeen-year-old girl with a tendency to dissociate as she ātradesā her body with men in order to pay for her education. Next we meet Saadiq, a Rimbaud fanboy and reluctant gang member who believes he is in love with Eve. Then there Savita, Eveās best friend who eventually becomes her lover, much to the annoyance of Saadiq. And finally thereās ClĆ©lio, a tougher member of the same gang as Saadiq, who is waiting in vain for his brother to come back from France to collect him.
In the bookās first half, its narrators roam the streets of Port Louis, sometimes attending school, occasionally frequenting the local nightclub, but often just biding time, yearning for a life outside of Troumaron. Nowhere is safe for the islandās young womenānot even schoolāand when Eveās biology teacher announces that heāll be tutoring her, Eve knows immediately what is expected of her.
His pursuit was ridiculous. It was clear he wasnāt used to it. It took him weeks to summon up the courage to tell me to stay after class. Heās surprised I say yes so quickly, so coldly. How could it be this easy? He wonders if I really know what his intentions areā¦
I love you, I love you, he says, blind with desire. Itās so awkward Iām almost insulted. Does he really think Iāll believe him? His tongue is in my ear. The words bunch up around the thick mass. That moisture, his hot breath, his fumbling, it all disgusts me.
The bookās second half picks up in the aftermath of a tragedy, following its narrators as they navigate its consequences on their lives. Though the plot picks up after the halfway mark, Devi still delves deep into her charactersā interiorities and her sentences continue to be poetic and dreamlike. The cadence of Deviās prose chops and changes from one chapter to the next and I appreciated translator Jeffrey Zuckermanās decision to preserve words and phrases in French and Mauritian Creole. In his afterword, Zuckerman explains that this was a conscious decision and an attempt to convey the āmĆ©lange of languages, cultures, and historiesā present in Mauritiusāa country which has been colonised by the Dutch, French, and British.
Eve out of Her Ruins is such an enriching read and Devi does a fantastic job of painting a picture of a place Saadiq describes as āa sort of funnel; where all the islandās wastewaters ultimately flowā. Though Deviās characters experience moments of happiness, these are fleeting and the reality of life in Troumaron is harsh, heavy, misogynistic, and extremely violent. Deviās incisive prose perfectly captures what it is to be a teenager who is discarded by societyāthis book truly broke my heart.
Eve out of Her Ruins by Ananda Devi, translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman (Les Fugitives, 2016 / Ćditions Gallimard, 2006)
More books by Mauritian authors
Hereās a short list of everything else I was recommended this week:
Tropic of Violence by Nathacha Appanah, tr. Geoffrey Strachan
Watch Them Go Down byĀ Anand Mulloo
Silence of the Chagos by Shenaz Patel, tr. Jeffrey Zuckerman
BĆ©narĆØs by Barlen Pyamootoo, tr. Will Hobson
Made in Mauritius by Amal Sewtohul
What have you read recently?
If youāve read a brilliant book in translation or youād like to pass on a recommendation, Iād love to hear about it! For this project, Iām focussing on contemporary fiction and short stories, with a preference for female authorsābut Iām always happy to venture further afield for a good recommendation.
You can get in touch by replying to this email or leaving a comment. Iāll be featuring your recommendations in upcoming newsletters, and Iāll keep a growing listĀ here.
Bookmarked is written by Tabatha Leggett. If you know someone who would enjoy this newsletter, please forward it to them!