Reviews

The characterization in the book is strong, as strong as the strong-willed protagonists that Neil has created. His protagonists are not lily-livered children with over-active, fertile imaginations. They are decisive thinkers and planners. They carry the weight of the stories on their puny shoulders.

‘Eighty hours to save Karen’ is a book with such a vein of thrill in its body. The 69 page volume is the author’s first commendable attempt at writing a thriller. The storyline, sans any superfluous language, is straightforward and takes you straight into the mind of the protagonist Air Commodore Mathew Williams. The story explores the lengths to which a devoted grandfather would go to ensure the safety and well-being of his only grandchild, entrusted to his care.

The poet talks about how she yearns for some ‘My time’, away from the din of her life. She seeks it, searches for it because she realizes that it is much needed. The poet also challenges some societal notions by asking why it is that people think that the terms homemaker and ambition are divergent. Why does society automatically assume that a homemaker has no ambition?

As you read the stories which are backed by wonderful language, you are pulled into the life of these people and their thoughts. Whether it is battling loneliness to rising above obstacles or trying to make a difference during the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic; these stories offer a glimpse into the lives of real and very relatable characters. These are heart-warming stories of people who can be your neighbours, your friends, your acquaintances, your relatives and yes, even you.

Under the apple boughs is exactly what it promises to be – a volume of poetry that you wish you could read sitting under an apple bough in the scenic land of Kashmir.  Prefaced by Bob Dylan’s iconic song – blowing in the wind – this book is a compilation of poems, nay, it is a compilation of emotions that blow in the wind like dandelion seeds, seeking and searching for the elusive land that calls to their heart.

The book is set in Ooty or Ootacamund as the hill station was known at that time and explores the life of four friends who band together and choose to call themselves the Zenana. This is one part that I am sure most of us will identify with – friendships and coating ourselves in a faux sense of security by giving the relationship a name. Haven’t we all done that, at one time or the other, in our school lives? But, does that faux sense extend to envelop us in security, in reality? Well, that is what the book explores via tragedy and helplessness over that one tragic incident.

In the words of Franklin D Roosevelt - Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear. These women understood that. They knew that in order to create their space in the world, they would have to embrace courage and meet their fear headlong.

The stories are like a large bouquet, tastefully decorated with myriad hues and encompassing in their bosom the fragrance of emotions that leave us with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

The word ‘Goya’ is an Urdu word that refers to a suspension of disbelief particularly through stories. And, is that not exactly what short stories are meant to be – an immersive experience of reading which transports a reader to the make believe world created by the author? Are not stories meant to be escapes and glimpses into a world that offers entertainment? In my opinion stories are meant to be addictive therapy but of the good, doctor prescribed kind.

The book is a compilation of fifteen brilliant short stories. The stories encompass multiple genres.