‘Spotless’: Vibha Batra’s young adult novel reinforces the idea that beauty is always skin-deep

It is a well-established fact that the Indian writing in English scene has not only well and truly exploded but has also firmly created a space for itself in the international world of books and publishing. However, the same is not necessarily true for Indian writing in English for young adults. While there are definitely a few noteworthy names, such as Roopa Pai, Shabnam Minwalla and Andaleeb Wajid, who are doing wonderful and inspiring work in this genre, much more is necessary.

One only needs to go through posts by book clubs or parents on social media to ask for recommendations for their children to realise that most of the books suggested are by writers from the West, with Harry Potters and Percy Jacksons ruling the roost. But with the genre finally getting the attention it deserves from Indian writers, more of them are venturing into YA fiction. Vibha Batra’s Spotless is a significant contribution here.

One of the most popular tropes for YA fiction is the one of coming-of-age stories. Its popularity should not be very surprising, because adolescence is a lot about growth, both physical and intellectual – the awkwardness and insecurity that inevitably accompany such growth, and the contradictory impulse to assert one’s individuality while often succumbing to peer pressure. All these challenges provide a plethora of material for YA writers to spin their craft, but their very existence tells us why YA fiction is important. At an age when teenagers find it increasingly difficult to reach out and resist attempts, especially by parents or adults, to counsel them, these books can play a subtle guiding role.

Under pressure

One of the most difficult factors that predominates a young person’s concerns is the one of looks. This pressure is compounded not just by the need of peer approval, but also by a growing interest in romantic relationships. However, the challenge to look one’s best only is made more difficult by hormonal changes leading to acne, breakouts, sudden spurts in growth, and so on. The compulsion to look unrealistically “good” in recent times has, of course, scaled new impossible heights thanks to social media. These intersecting pressures which dominate a young person’s life are the focus of Spotless.

Batra’s novel traces the ups and downs that 14-year-old Raga Rachel Matthew must navigate after she develops a skin condition that splits her life into before and after, leaving the once popular girl who was the face of an ad campaign friendless, lonely and severely deficient in self-confidence. While the condition spreads and impacts every aspect of Raga’s life, including her relationship with her parents, her closest friends, the food she eats and the hobbies she pursues, Batra weaves in a variety of problems, some real and a few imagined, that those of Raga’s age have to deal with.

While Raga has the usual rebellious spats with her parents, some of them also revolve around intense issues, such as whether she should or should not join a clinical trial in the hope of a cure for her condition. The conflicts with her parents are further complicated by the baggage they carry and do not necessarily share with their daughter with the possibly misplaced intention of protecting her.

While the common perception is that as children grow into young adults, ties with parents become fraught and friendships become all-important, Batra’s novel forays sensitively and perceptively into the complex world of teenage friendships. What she reveals is a real and somewhat frightening world crisscrossed by slights, micro-aggressions, constant games of one-upmanship in which youngsters get ensnared, a world where trust and loyalty are as fragile as china.

It is a world that is also perhaps most adversely impacted by the advent of social media, as Raga sadly discovers. But her trial by fire is also a test that, as Batra suggests through the protagonist’s journey, that every young adult has to take. Raga’s tumultuous journey also proves that it is a necessary one, fine-tuning one’s moral compass, teaching one to stretch one’s limits, enabling one to overcome hurdles, to find out who one’s real friends are, and, most important, to discover who one really is and what truly interests one.

Verse is right

Spotless is a novel in verse. Yes, you read that right. I must confess that I was apprehensive about whether it would therefore work for young adults at all, because even adults find poetry difficult. But it works, and works well – young people who mostly communicate through social media in crisp and pithy language might actually enjoy reading a novel in verse. While there is a lot of interesting YA fiction available that deals with everything from sexuality to abuse, the completely Indian milieu of Spotless makes it particularly relatable for young readers here.

There’s the overprotective father who insists that doors remain open when a boy comes visiting his daughter. Or the manic cleansing of all non-vegetarian food in the house before a visit from the grandparents. Or the complete overfamiliarity and lack of boundaries that lead to the most intrusive and insensitive comments and questions from random neighbours and acquaintances.

Batra’s novel is primarily about Raga triumphing over the unexpected and life-changing condition that appears overnight, and not letting the condition define her. But Spotless also shines the spotlight subtly on several other issues. It champions the mother who juggles a job and her chores, a father whose work compels him to stay away from home, but one who is always present in his children’s lives.

Spotless also subverts stereotypes and, in Raga, presents a girl who plays Call of Duty and is fascinated by astronomy. Best of all, it does so with a lightness of touch, with a self-deprecating humour, and by also evoking all that is sweet and innocent about being 14. If at all one must find a fault, it lies in the oscillating between the past and the present that the narrative sometimes does, making it a little harder and confusing for the reader. But despite this, you will find yourself turning the pages, cheering for Raga, hoping, wishing that she finds success, happiness and her tribe.

Shibani Phukan is an Associate Professor at a Delhi University college.

Spotless, Vibha Batra, Hachette India.