Come Pepe, Come Home

This novel by Prabha Khaitan, "Aao Pepe, Ghar Chalen!" (Come Pepe, Let's Go Home!), is primarily a female-centric novel set against the backdrop of America.  It is a poignant story from a time when Prabha was only 22 years old and had gone to America to take a beautician's course.She witnessed the horrifying realities there, confronted the worst aspects, and the way dreamlike America emerged in front of her, left her disturbed. The story mainly revolves around an American elderly woman, Eileen, and her Alsatian dog, Pepe. Eileen is harsh and tough in demeanor, but deep inside, she is filled with human compassion. Pepe is her darling, like her own child. There are other women in the story as well. Helga, whose home is falling apart but remains unshaken; Bettina, who dares to question her mother; Cathy, a lively woman who feels nervous around Black people; Mrs. D.; Clara; and more women who make the narrative cohesive. Overall, this novel evokes the feeling of turning the silence of humans, grappling with inconsistencies, into a scream.