Sudeshna Koka talks about how 'The Edge of Desire' demo­nstrates the pain, sadness, ang­er, frustration, betrayal a wom­an goes through before she realizes the immense strength and power she possesses.

Can a woman's humiliation change the destiny of a nation? It did in the Ma­habharata. And it does, once again, in the lawless Bihar of the 1990s. The Edge of Desire is a very feministic book by Tuhin A Sinha, who talks about the life of an ex-journalist Shruti Ranjan, who finds her boyfriend in bed with her best friend. Hurt at being deceived, she moves back to her hometown with her parents. Giving into parental pressure, she agrees for an arranged marriage with Rohit Verma, the deputy commissioner of Kishanganj, Bihar. Little did she know that this marriage would change the course of her life giving it a completely new direction.

While she is just trying to find her bearings with marriage, a horrific incident puts all stops to her dreams. She is brutally raped by a local goon, Salim Yada. She decides to fight back but her attempts at getting justice are crushed by a corrupt and complicit state government. That's when the charismatic Sharad Malviya, a leading member of the opposition party, offers her an unlikely solution: his party's ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections.

While fighting for personal justice, she becomes a deputy minister working for women welfare. Soon she becomes the CM and handles bigger issues like Naxalism, terrorism and the country's security issues. She goes through several role reversals. However, in this battle she loses her family. Her husband, Rohit, who was once her support system, abandons her — leaving her to fight alone.The novel is a great blend of politics and human emotions. Each character is brilliantly carved and this comes only with intricate research. This is where Tuhin scores over others. His writing is clean and well-plotted.

The Edge of Desire shows the different challenges a women faces in our country. It demonstrates the pain, sadness, anger, frustration, betrayal a women goes through due to constant commodification and discrimination. However, the author who constantly keeps drawing reference to mythological characters also shows that a woman can fight and stand against all odd. And indeed when a woman stands up for herself, she realises the immense strength and hidden power she possesses.