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Talking of Muskaan - Young adult fiction envisaging queer as normal

Author Affiliations

  • 1Smt S.R. Mehta Arts College, Ahmedabad affiliated to Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, India

Res. J. Language and Literature Sci., Volume 9, Issue (1), Pages 1-6, January,19 (2022)

Abstract

Himanjali Sankar, a contemporary Indian author of children books, Young Adult (YA) novels and Adult fiction contributed to writing which is far away from mainstream literature. Her novel “Talking of Muskaan” is a queer young adult novel, based on bullying and homosexuality experienced by Muskaan in high school. The novel aims at exposing false and rigid social ideas based on gender, class, caste, and creed that destabilizes the mental state of an individual, leading her to attempting suicide. The novel is an account of emotional state of a teen age girl Muskaan who gradually realizes that she is a lesbian. The present paper focusses on the need of exploring the mental health of individuals who feel differently; necessity of creating equal space for everyone; generating better support systems for young adults and to empathize, understand and realize their problems.

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