A Quiet Rebellion: Book Review of Rupleena Bose’s “Summer of Then”
Bose’s debut novel, Summer of Then, is an ambitious narrative that spans over a decade and moves between Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, and Edinburgh.
“Too long, too personal”
— that is what Rupleena Bose’s protagonist says about her piece after reading it in front of her writing class. And, that, also is the shortest way to describe the experience of reading Summer of Then, a delicate balance between deeply personal and unflinchingly political.
Rupleena Bose’s debut novel, Summer of Then, is an ambitious narrative that spans over a decade and moves between Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, and Edinburgh. Set from 2010 to 2020, the novel offers an intimate look at a woman coming to terms with herself, her relationships, and the society that shapes her experiences. At its core, Summer of Then is a story about desire, not just in the romantic sense but in the broader context of longing — for freedom, identity, and a life unconstrained by societal expectations. The protagonist, a young English professor, navigates her tumultuous relationships with two men: Nikhil, her husband, and Zap, her husband’s childhood friend and a filmmaker, who eventually becomes her lover. These relationships seem to stand as metaphors for the tension between societal duty and personal desire. With his anger, prideful morality, and authoritative presence, Nikhil embodies the weight of societal norms. At the same time, Zap represents a more carefree, artistic rebellion that is fleeting like a fantasy of a love-struck mind. Yet, the protagonist’s affair with Zap or her separation from Nikhil does not provide a clean escape from her constraints; instead, it complicates her sense of self, leaving her trapped between two worlds.
The protagonist is not a rebel in the typical sense — she is neither loud nor overtly defiant. Rather, her rebellion is quiet, rooted in a refusal to fit neatly into the boxes society has carved out for women. Her story reflects the dilemma many modern women face: the push and pull between fulfilling societal expectations and pursuing a life driven by personal desires. Her dissatisfaction with her marriage, and her frustration with her career — are juxtaposed against the backdrop of a changing India, marked by rising religious fanaticism, class divisions, and caste-based discrimination. This interplay between the personal and political gives the novel a broader resonance, as the protagonist’s internal conflicts mirror the external tensions in society. The protagonist’s middle-class background is a constant reminder of her limitations. She is a writer at heart, but her dreams of literary success are thwarted by financial realities. She works as an ad hoc professor and occasional proofreader, struggling to find stability in a world that seems indifferent to her creative ambitions.
The novel further touches on the protagonist’s experience as a teacher, where she witnesses the murder of a Muslim student who was involved with a Hindu girl. This tragedy highlights the stark inequalities that exist in Indian society — inequalities that the protagonist, despite her struggles, cannot fully escape. The futility of her attempts at activism, as she and a colleague visit the dead student’s home, underscores the harsh realities of power and privilege. The protagonist’s internal journey is mirrored by the shifting political landscape of India. The protagonist’s refusal to take on her husband’s surname becomes a small, yet significant, act of defiance — an assertion of her own identity in a society that constantly seeks to define her by her gender, caste, and class.
Summer of Then is as much a novel about place as it is about people. Each city represents a different phase of her life, with Kolkata symbolizing her family’s failures, and Delhi embodying the toxicity of her marriage and professional dissatisfaction. When the protagonist travels to Edinburgh for a writer’s residency, she is briefly seduced by the charm of the West — its clean air, temperate climate, and promises of freedom. But even this escape proves temporary. Her return to Delhi marks a return to reality, where the weight of her responsibilities and the limitations of her class and gender once again close in on her. Her trip to Nilokheri brings back a strange connection to her grandmother and her life in the past.
Bose uses a deeply introspective tone to draw the reader into her thoughts and emotions. The protagonist is constantly reflecting on her circumstances, whether it’s her relationships, career, or social standing. This self-awareness gives the novel a confessional feel, as though the reader is privy to the protagonist’s most private thoughts. The reflective language is filled with moments of hesitation, doubt, and self-criticism, often highlighting the protagonist’s emotional vulnerability. The frequent use of rhetorical questions and self-reflection lends the narrative a sense of immediacy, making the protagonist’s struggles feel raw and unfiltered. Bose’s descriptive style is minimalist, often focusing on key symbolic details rather than long, elaborate descriptions.
The narrative moves back and forth in time and space, mirroring the disjointed and often chaotic nature of the protagonist’s life. The nonlinear narrative explores the protagonist’s past and present simultaneously, creating a layered understanding of how her experiences have shaped her. She is often caught between conflicting desires, unsure of where her life is headed. By moving fluidly between different points in time, Bose captures the way memory, desire, and regret constantly intersect in the protagonist’s mind, emphasizing the complexity of her internal journey. The oppressive heat of summer, which recurs throughout the narrative, serves as a metaphor for the protagonist’s stifling circumstances. The brown, parched grass on her side of the fence becomes a symbol of her dissatisfaction, and her inability to find joy or fulfilment in the life she has chosen. Similarly, the changing seasons — particularly the relief brought by winter — serve as a metaphor for the moments of clarity and hope that punctuate the protagonist’s otherwise tumultuous journey. Motifs of air, water, and geography also play a significant role in shaping the narrative. The language is subtle, yet powerful, capturing the nuances of desire, identity, and the socio-political landscape that shape the protagonist’s journey. Bose’s writing is sharp, insightful, and unflinchingly honest, making Summer of Then a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of the personal and the political, and the quiet rebellions that define our lives.
This review was written by in exchange for a review copy from Penguin India.
