My latest read (a bit delayed, but never mind), winner of the 2025 Booker Prize , Heart Lamp is a collection of selected stories by Bhanu Mustaq , translated by Deepa Bhasthi , originally written in Kannada between 1990 and 2023. As promised, it shines a light on the everyday struggles of Muslim women, focusing on gender inequality, patriarchy, oppression, domestic violence, and more. Now, is it worth a Booker Prize? Honestly, I’m not the best person to comment on that. But here’s what I felt—many of these stories felt familiar, maybe even too familiar, if you’ve grown up in India. Tales of patriarchy, domestic abuse, women belittling women… we have all seen or heard these around us. So, what makes Heart Lamp special?
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