Twenty pages into ‘Eden Abandoned,’ I had a pit in my stomach. Having always thought of myself as an avid reader, I was kicking myself for not having discovered the magic of Shinie Antony before. Is she one of the most underrated Indian writers of English language?
Ladies, I invite you to meet ‘curiosity’ and ‘non-conformity’ in this wonderful book, Eden Abandoned – The Story of Lilith’ by Shinie Antony. Exquisite prose is one way to put it. Fun read is another. Gentlemen, I invite you to see a mirror that Lilith wants to hold up and share a laugh which apparently ‘Adam couldn’t because he never had it’.
But first up, who is Lilith? According to lore, Lilith was the first wife of Adam. Although not mentioned directly in the Bible, Lilith has been used to explain the two contradictory versions of Creation within the book of Genesis. Adam and Lilith were both created from the dust and the earth. They were equals. And this was the problem.
Here are our five Bookstrapping insights –
1. There’s a reason you wont find me in the Bible, says Lilith. I am memory erased, even as I live. Her manufacturing defect was the ‘inability to nod.’ In other words, the fact that she had a mind of her own. Someone who wouldn’t merely put ‘ovary and uterus to use.’ And that’s why Adam allowed Lilith to disappear, as long as she didn’t make a fuss!
2. ‘Between two adults, consent comes into play during separation’. Gems like these keep the reader hooked! After all, Adam did choose the more submissive Eve over Lilith, albeit righteously!
3. The evocation of feminism, is dealt with in the most fascinating manner. The author brings Lilith alive in the most irreverent way, for she believes that it was Adam’s ‘contempt for himself that interfered with his joy in her!”
4. Even as Lilith builds a menacing life outside Eden, the author brings out the contrast between her and Eve. The latter, made from Adam’s rib , is not his equal. She nods and smiles and is eager to please. Because…God is a man!
5. The book puts an entirely new spin on the very idea of worship and dignity. With chapters numbered in reverse, from thirteen to zero and unnamed, the reader can make their imagination go wild.
Let ‘Eden Abandoned’ mark the beginning of discovering Shinie Antony, a truly humbling voice in women’s writing; a magical wordsmith whose works I’m excited to dig into.
One question seems to apply to both Shinie Antony and Lilith- have they got their due?
Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta is a columnist and bestselling biographer. She is credited with the internationally acclaimed Red Dot Experiment, a decadal six-nation study on how ‘culture impacts communication.’ A reading coach, you can find her on Instagram @OfficialReetaGupta