Book Reviews

Insatiable: My Hunger for Life (2023) is an autobiography by Shobhaa De, the leading socialite from India. As the title of the book suggests, De writes of her life made of complex emotions, travels, food and experiences. De describes her life among the elite. But, her descriptions shadow class, caste and gender differences. She offers no representation to the subaltern. 

 

This is the second time I am reviewing a food story. Earlier, I reviewed the food story by Madhushree Ghosh that came out in 2022. Both the books discuss Jaipur, and were part of discussions at the Jaipur Literature Festival in 2023. Is it possible to write a food story when you are a vegetarian only? The way these two books describe meat-eating seems to convey that non-vegetarian food varieties connect the populace and speak to their sentiments. It's just such a voluptuous way of representing food. 

 

While leafing through her memoir, one tends to read nothing of the prevalent discriminations in Indian society. She exhibits a high self-worth. When the preface opens, she is shown worried about the change of her name when she was a child. She is totally unconcerned with the challenges faced by people. It's better to talk about that Shobhaa! She shows no sympathy for the injustices against women, environment or the world in general. She cries when her self-worth is hurt. She has no tears to shed for underprivileged people. The narrative shows no philanthropic gesture on her part. She agrees to pay a lump sum amount to the astrologer because the horoscope is related to her. 

 

I like the cosmopolitan anchor in Insatiable. De has domestic help from various regionalities, and she appreciates food from various places all over the world. This turns out to be a memoir by a privileged woman who has access to places, things and food she likes. Dometic help is a call away, there are people to guide her with eateries, she has money to dispense with for reading out her horoscope. 

 

Half the time, she looks bothered arranging house help. She is ready to disburse any amount of money for that, and this is done in a way to show that it is actually the maids who are materialistic and self-seeking in nature. Insatiable leaves a deep impression on the reader’s mind but owing to the privilege of the lady. Personally, while reading the memoir, I was feeling exhausted at my own class position. I was comparing my material means with that of De. This actually made me love my family even more. I deliberated that this woman is happy when she gets what she loves, she undergoes mood swings owing to that so I must be happy to have a family which I love. 

 

I was exposed to vulnerabilities, class and gender after reading her. The way she structures her book, its form and presentation says that this is a book by no ordinary woman. Here is a woman, who gets to eat with the Nobel Laureates, and Amitav Ghosh, and Aamir Khan. She is recklessly open-minded, and unhesitant in mentioning the good things such as kinnow which we import from Pakistan. She also shows no qualms in commenting on body.  There is an entire discussion on breasts which preoccupy her imagination. She freely talks about sex and pleasure. Her husband is her biggest devotee. He likes to celebrate both minor and major events of his life with De.

 

Family ties are an indestructible part of De’s life. Her daughters take care of her, and she also dotes on them, including her son. Somewhere or the other, I believe food keeps her appetite for sex alive. When she is on a journey to celebrate her wedding anniversary, she has great food. Her privilege comes across in the very form of the text. She adjusts drawings before each chapter. 

 

So, here is a septuagenarian woman who, as the book shows, faced no struggles in her life. She has lived among the riches for so long, and this accounts for her insatiable craving. She wants wealth, wealth and wealth. She wants to be immersed in it. 

 

-Dolly Sharma

JECRC University, Jaipur