Heart Lamp by Banu Mustaq

Hello there,

Booker Prize–winning books are always on my ready-to-go wishlist. Recently, the International Booker Prize 2025–winning book The Heart Lamp by Banu Mustaq had been on my reading list for a long time, and I finally got it and completed it. What captivates me about it is the book cover, which has vivid-coloured pomegranates. My interpretation behind this is that, just like pomegranates, it is a collection of short stories.

It is translated by Deepa Bhasthi, who masterfully captures the essence of the originally Kannada-written book. As Salman Rushdie said, now we are doing the “chutnification” of English the perfect chutney one can taste by reading this book because the language is a mix of everyday life with Hindi and Urdu. Honestly, this book is like a warm hug, like a serial episode you watch, or the observations you make every day in and around your life. It is not heavy with slang or pedantic vocabulary. However, with lucidity, Banu satirises the pitfalls of Muslim communities, religion, and human flaws.

This is the first book I have read that is entirely based on Muslim culture. Though we reside among them every day, we hardly notice their rituals, culture, and way of life. The book has twelve short stories, most of them based on themes of feminism, the misinterpretation of the Quran, class inequality, and some rigid and horrible rituals like khatna. All these stories are deeply rooted in everyday life, yet each story left a lasting impact.

Religion has always been cruel to women, and Banu’s depiction of polygamy which is quite normal in the Muslim community and the suffering of women as a result is captured in almost all the stories. Some stories are very light, while others put me in a long stream of thought. The last story is a bitter satire on the religious system that gives men the upper hand. The series of questions to God, ending with the plea, “Be a woman once, oh Lord,” is the perfect conclusion to the book.

I enjoyed reading it and felt a sigh of relief after completing it. If you want to explore real Indian English writing, then this is the book you should opt for. Thank you for showing patience and reading till the end. Have a great reading time. Until next time, thank you. See you soon.