Review: Eve Out of Her Ruins by Ananda Devi

TW: Sexual violence

Like all good fiction, Eve Out of Her Ruins offers a portal into parts of the world we have never visited, and access to points of view we have never experienced, promoting education and empathy through reading. Mauritius, where this novel is set, has been colonised many times, by the Dutch, the French, and the British.

Consequently, the people on this small island speak English, French, and Mauritian Creole, and this blend of cultures and languages across a troubled history is bound to result in fertile ground for creativity. However, this multitude of languages is not always an advantage; Ananda Devi’s characters struggle to express themselves fully with all of these borrowed languages, phrases and multicultural influences. On several occasions they say that there is “no escape” from the limitations placed on them by their upbringing in their neighbourhood — apart from turning to violence and crime which further traps them in the cyclical “nasty history” of their country. They are constrained by the cultural memory of violence and slavery, and can barely imagine a life outside of this extistence. Only fiction and stories from other places provide a glimpse of a world where “possibilities shimmer”, just as this novel helps readers to understand the lives of these disenfranchised youths.

Eve Out of Her Ruins certainly isn’t an easy or enjoyable read — the rage and the hopelessness of Eve, Saad, Savita and Cllio scream from every page — but it is a valuable translation to have available for English speaking readers.

Laura King

 Check out Ananda Devi and translator Jeffrey Zuckerman’s feature on writing the teen voice in issue 5.