I am really excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for The Archer by Shruti Swamy. I received a free copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Algonquin Books and Shruti Swamy for letting me be a part of this tour and giving me the chance to read this book.
Author: Shruti Swamy
Published by: Algonquin Books
Released: September 7, 2021
Source: Review Copy from Publisher
Synopsis: Kiese Laymon called Shruti Swamy’s debut book of stories, A House Is a Body, “one of the greatest short story collections of the 2020s.” Now, Swamy brings us an accomplished and immersive coming-of-age novel set in the Bombay of the 1960s and 1970s.
As a child, Vidya exists to serve her family, watch over her younger brother, and make sense of a motherless world. One day she catches sight of a class where the students are learning Kathak, a precise, dazzling form of dance that requires the utmost discipline and focus. Kathak quickly becomes the organizing principle of Vidya’s life, even as she leaves home for college, falls in love with her best friend, and battles demands on her time, her future, and her body. Can Vidya give herself over to her art and also be a wife in Bombay’s carefully delineated society? Can she shed the legacy of her own imperfect, unknowable mother? Must she, herself, also become a mother?
Intensely lyrical and deeply sensual, with writing as rhythmically mesmerizing as Kathak itself, The Archer is about the transformative power of art and the possibilities that love can open when we’re ready. (Synopsis from Goodreads)
My Thoughts: This was a very moving and interesting story. We follow the life of Vidya and a dance called Kathak that becomes very important to her. Vidya has a lot of responsibility weighing on her shoulders, and she needs something that is just for her. Kathak becomes that thing that is just for her. She struggles to find balance in her life, juggling with all the responsibilities as well as making time for Kathak.
We follow Vidya throughout her life, which does mean that the timeline does make some jumps. It can be a little jarring at times.
I really enjoyed the way this was written and told. It's definitely an interesting story. I liked following Vidya as she goes through life. This was a good read.
Shruti Swamy is the author of the story collection A House Is a Body, which was a finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize and the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction, and was longlisted for the Story Prize. Her work has been published by the Paris Review and McSweeney’s, and anthologized in the O. Henry Prize Stories. Her debut novel, The Archer, will be published by Algonquin Books in September 2021. She lives in San Francisco.
Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for The Archer by Shruti Swamy. Thanks so much to Algonquin Books and Shruti Swamy for letting me be a part of the tour. I'd definitely give this one a read.
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