Although I have never really contemplated what it might be like for a woman to pass herself off as a man, it is sort of an intriguing idea. It has been done before. Women fought in the Civil War. They've gone to sea dressed as men. I've no doubt that there have been other times and circumstances in history where it has been easier to live as a man and be independent, than accept society's strictures that were placed on the female sex.
I'm not entirely sure what made me pick up Chandra Prasad's On Borrowed Wings when I saw it in the library. The cover probably initially struck me, but it was the story that sold me. The idea of a girl taking on the identity of her deceased brother in order to leave her small Connecticut town and enter Yale for a proper education was provacative. Women were not admitted into Yale until the late 1960s. In the 1930s, a woman, particularly from a poor family, had few opportunities available to her. Living in the small town of Stony Creek, Adele had only marriage to look forward to and maybe taking in other people's laundry to earn a little money. There were just three types of men--quarrymen (like her father and brother), townsmen (small-time merchants and businessmen who dreamed of having more), and cottagers (the wealthy vacationers who would come each summer). Adele knew which type of man she would end up with. Her mother had been a cottager, but fell in love with a handsome, Italian immigrant--a quarryman--and married below her, much to the chagrin of her family. Of course they disinherited her.
When Adele's father and brother die in a quarry accident, Adele sees a way to open up her future rather than be suffocated by the few possibilities that are now left to her. Surprisingly her mother goes along with her plans. Adele becomes Charlie. In essence she becomes the solution to both their problems--a way out of living in poverty. She is so successful that her mother is almost alarmed by her transformation. For me the story really came alive when Adele/Charlie sets off and immerses herself in Yale life as a young freshman. The lines became somewhat blurred. Written in first person, I didn't really feel like it was Adele, a young woman, talking anymore. Her male persona was pretty convincing. If you figure this was the 30s, she was probably rail thin, and she was only about 17. There were moments when I did let my belief be suspended a bit, but all in all, I thought Prasad told a fairly plausible story; however, maybe my opinion is shaded a bit, as I really liked Adele/Charlie.
I wouldn't have minded if there was more to the story--if she had added to the plot, though I found it all quite satisfying. We only get to see Adele/Charlie's first year. It was an interesting portrait of what Yale life might have been like. Prasad herself is a Yale graduate. She obviously did a fair bit of research, and I thought the whole gender thing was well done. This was definitely a case of the right book at the right time for me. Although I wanted to find out how things ended, I didn't want to finish the book. I will be watching out for more by Chandra Prasad. You can check out her website here and read more about her own interesting background here.