Yulia Yu. Sakurazawa’s “The Final Barrier” has been published.
21-year-old Kajol is getting engaged. She isn’t in love with her fiancé, Som. The match has been fixed by her family.
Kajol has a best friend called Trishna. She and Trishna have known each other since school. Trishna is a girl trapped in a boy’s body. She has recently undergone Sex Reassignment Surgery.
Kajol and Trishna catch up on the eve of Kajol’s engagement. Trishna reminds Kajol of a rainy evening when both of them were 14. The two youngsters had got carried away and amorously embraced each other.
Trishna is still in love with Kajol. However, Trishna never confesses her feelings. She feels that Kajol has no future with her. Thus, she encourages Kajol to get engaged to a man.
Events take an interesting turn when Kajol falls madly in love with Nicole, an attractive biker-girl who is in town for a short period. Kajol’s feelings for Nicole create some jealousy in Trishna.
How will this love triangle shape up?
Characters:
Kajol Biswas: is the 21-year-old narrator of the story. She is 5’4, dusky and curvaceous. She has got wavy brown hair and black eyes. Kajol belongs to a conservative family and is forced to obey her father and brother. She becomes friends with the transgendered Trishna during school and loves Trishna fiercely. Kajol is physically attracted to Trishna but believes that she isn’t in love with her.
Trishna Mukherjee: is Kajol’s 21-year-old best friend. She is gorgeous, albeit a bit masculine. She is 5’8 and slender, with long black hair and melancholy dark eyes. Trishna is a quiet, mature person who has a strong character owing to her hardships. She is misunderstood by people and isolated by her own family. Trishna’s parents and elder sister live in Kolkata while Trishna lives alone in Santiniketan.
Trishna is so grateful for Kajol’s friendship that she vows to do anything for her. Even though she is deeply in love with Kajol, Trishna barely expresses her feelings. She encourages Kajol to get engaged to a man for a good future. When Kajol falls in love with Nicole, Trishna is jealous. However, she soon pushes her feelings of jealousy aside and helps the lovers (Kajol and Nicole) elope.
Nicole Dorjee: is a 23-year-old biker-girl. Nicole is 5’6, highly muscular with slender hips. She sports her hair in a short crop, has brown eyes and an attractive smile. She hails from Sikkim. Her father is a Buddhist, while her mother is a Christian.
Nicole is a free-spirit who loves exploring places on her bike. She finds a temporary job in every place she visits. Nicole is proficient in martial arts and knows how to defend herself.
When in Santiniketan, Nicole falls in love with Kajol. She suggests that Kajol elope with her.
Joy Biswas: is Kajol’s 27-year-old brother. He is tall, muscular and rugged. Joy is nice, but a bit narrow-minded. He believes that women must be sheltered and protected. He loves his sister but curtails her freedom.
Joy dislikes homosexual or transgendered people. He believes that such people can control their ‘abnormal’ impulses. Joy initially despises Trishna for being transgendered. He is also unable to accept the relationship between Kajol and Nicole.
However, Joy slowly realizes the error of his attitude and changes for the better. He eventually becomes a more loving, accepting human being.
Som Sen: is Kajol’s 26-year-old fiancé. He is a realtor by profession. Som is a squat youth of medium height. He has a broad face. Som disrespects women and views them as sex objects. He tries to get physical with Kajol without her consent. He is furious with Nicole for “seducing” Kajol and even attempts to rape her. Kajol breaks off her engagement to Som following which Som slanders Kajol.
Mr. Biswas: is Kajol’s 60-year-old father. He is a tall, rugged man. Mr. Biswas doesn’t believe in equality of the sexes. He feels that women should dedicate themselves to household tasks and obey the male members of the family.
Mr. Biswas loves his daughter, but doesn’t treat her in the same manner as he treats his son. He curtails Kajol’s freedom to some extent. He even chooses a life partner for her.
Like Joy, the senior Mr. Biswas too dislikes the LGBT community. However, he slowly changes his attitude and becomes more accepting.