Intemperance, Sonora Jha (Review by Kristin Kurek)

Rating: 4.0/5 Stars

Intemperance caught my attention right away when it was described as a feminist folktale. There could not be a more apt description for this book!
A twice-divorced female professor holds a swayamvar to select a new husband to celebrate her 55th birthday. A swayamvar is defined by Wikipedia as “a matrimonial tradition in ancient Indian society where a bride… selects her husband from a group of assembled suitors either by her own choice or a public contest between her suitors.” She knows that she will receive quite the reaction from the public. She does not know if any men will show up to compete for her hand. A cast of characters come to express their feelings about this stunt: the spirit of a goddesses, a wedding planner, a disability documentarian, members of her family…
I loved the societal commentary that this book evokes. And, I really love the questions of masculinity and partnership. What task can assist a 55 year old woman in picking an ideal partner? Does she want a man with strength? Is it more important that the man can cook? Should the man be able to care of children? What do these tasks indicate about what we are looking for in a partner? What is an ideal partner? What is an ideal marriage?
I found that this book challenged my ideas of the traits of an ideal partner. I also ended up in an internet black hole while googling the swayamvar, Indian curses, the caste system, and other elements of the book. This quest for information was just as interesting to me than the immersive environment of the novel.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in light magical realism, women’s fiction, or stories that make you tackle questions of gender norms and the role of partnership in a woman’s life.