Review: Small Deaths by Rijula Das
Sometimes it can be really hard for me to choose what book to read next. First world problem, I know. Like many others in this space, I tend to get a lot of my ideas from various book clubs I belong to and posts I see on bookstagram. I also of course have my own personal to-be-read pile with classics that I haven’t gotten to yet, gifts that I’ve received for birthdays and other holidays, and titles I’ve gathered at book swaps or at free libraries.
And sometimes, small presses or authors themselves are kind enough to reach out with memoirs, novels, and short story collections for me to peruse and review. The first time I got a message like this I won’t lie — I may have shed a tear or two. This was the reason why I wanted to start this site: to help authors and writers get their work out there in the world. Bonus points if it’s a womxn writer.
I’ve had the immense opportunity to read and review a handful of gifted copies in the past, and that’s exactly how I learned about Small Deaths by Rijula Das. As soon as I read the description I knew I had to read it:
“Rijula Das is an award-winning writer, whose debut novel Small Deaths was critically acclaimed upon its initial publication in India under the title 'A Death in Shonagachi,' set in Asia's largest red-light district and inspired by Rijula's doctoral research on the relationship between sexual violence on women in India”
I was also intrigued by the title itself: “small death” is an expression used in French to describe an orgasm. Das is no stranger to the idea and even mentions it in the book. It is even more appropriate in terms of the story as the book is centered around sex workers in Calcutta, India. Many are abused and experience more literal “small deaths” at the hands of their violent abusers.
In fact, the novel begins with death. As usual, I won’t spoil the story for you all but it begins with a murder inside a brothel in the red light district in Calcutta called Shonagachi. A woman named Maya is murdered and no one seems to know who did it. The local authorities don’t care and brush it off as an everyday occurrence in such a neighborhood. Local NGOs get involved and even at their insistence, it takes months on end for anyone to truly look into the case.
One of Maya’s close friends, Lalee, is the main character of the book. She is determined and hard-working and has been living in Shonagachi ever since her father sold her as a child. What sounds very shocking is actually much more commonplace than you would think: hundreds if not thousands of girls as young as seven years old are sold into human trafficking in India every year.
The book follows Lalee as she is introduced into the underbelly of Shonagachi after her madame decides that she is “good enough” to work with higher-paying clients. Her story, intertwined with the mystery behind Maya’s death is the thread that holds the entire story together. We meet other characters as well, including Deepa, who works with an organization called the Sex Workers’ Collective whose aim is to support sex workers like Maya and Lalee. We are also introduced to Tilu, one of Lalee’s clients. He is a writer of erotica and falls in love with Lalee.
Small Deaths is as thrilling as it is endearing, and the same could be said of the characters inside. In a large twist, the “higher-paying clients” that Lalee comes into contact with are some of the most unlikely suspects you would expect to find in the world of sex work. Well, I say that with a grain of salt, but you’ll understand more of what I mean once you read the book. No spoilers here, I promise.
As Lalee finds herself well over her head, Tilu attempts to save her. What I love most about this part of the story is that, while it’s very stereotypically nice of Tilu to want to step in, in the end, Lalee saves herself. It’s a message to all readers: no, womxn don’t need saving. We can do it ourselves, and we’ll save a few other people while we’re at it.
This book taught me so much about how prevalent human and child trafficking is in India, as well as what a tight-knit community Shonagachi is. Das mentions it several times in the book: yes, this is where sex work happens. But, it’s also where children are raised, friendships are formed, and love stories emerge.
Small Deaths will be released on September 13 by Amazon Crossing. You can pre-order a copy from Bookshop here — and I recommend that you do.
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