Anosh Irani’s novel about hijra (transgender) sex workers in contemporary Bombay contains a fair amount of disturbing description, including a castration performed in a less-than-clinical setting with tightened ropes used in place of anaesthetic. And yet The Parcel’s most discomfiting aspect is arguably its central metaphor, a “parcel” being a prepubescent girl stolen from her family and sold to a male client who will “open” her. Read more…