Witness the Night

March 12, 2012
Simran Singh is a middle-aged, unmarried social worker, who has returned to her Punjabi hometown in hopes of helping 14-year-old Durga, who stands accused of murdering 13 members of her family. Simran works hard to buck the stereotypes of Indian women, which is noble if not awfully tiresome for the reader, who is reminded every few pages of her smoking, drinking, and unlikely marital status. Then there’s Durga, a possible lesbian who, growing up, had sexual encounters with her older sister, and who is similarly so busy refusing compartmentalization that she fails to become a real human character. While Desai’s valiant attempts to renounce police corruption, female infanticide, and general misogyny should not be dismissed, Simran’s running inner monologue relentlessly echoes this agenda: “When I think there has been a miscarriage of justice, I get into the system, meet everyone, represent no one, and try and get to the truth.” Though suspense builds over the course of the novel, when the truth surfaces, it’s so implausible that it’s hard to care.