Tag Archives: bookreview

It all begins with a death. Nita, a pregnant woman falling from her balcony becomes the string that unravels the plot. Her death casts a shadow over many lives; her heartbroken father, her husband and Vinny, a young journalist, drawn in by the whiff of foul play and murder.What follows are stories within stories, eras and worlds colliding with each other, leaving behind splintered relationships and mesmerizing slices of lives that appear to be drawn together and driven apart by the whimsical threads of destiny. As events cast their shadows ahead to link the stories of Vinny, Kavita, Roma, Krish and Nita in an unrelenting knot, a journey starts to uncover the truth. What is the secret that links Nita’s death to the other characters? Will Vinny be able to unravel the mystery of Nita’s death? From intimate diary entries and letters, to bantering over a meal and sharing memories while spring cleaning, this novel de-familiarizes the ordinary, presenting a kaleidoscope of our own pasts, broken edges and pulsating hearts.

To the reader – if you intend to pick this book up then take your time with the stories. I think I have it pegged correctly if I were to surmise that this book is meant to make you feel uncomfortable. The idea is to jar you out of your comfort zone and make you sit up and take note. These stories are a heavy read and scanning through them will make you miss out on the idea behind the book – to challenge societal prejudice, stereotyping, gender discrimination and marginalization. If you fail to imbibe what the author is trying to bring across then the whole idea behind the book is defeated. Fair warning - there is a story that deals with sexual violence.

‘It happens’ succinctly captures this dynamic as it unfolds in the lives of ordinary people, people who sometimes got caught up in things that were not of their making. Bhaswar has taken snippets from life, perhaps even news reports and woven realistic tales around them. Backed by brilliant language, the stories take you with them on mini-journeys. To me this book came across as a wonderfully aromatic broth, chock full of fragrant ingredients, which when eaten contained flavours that literally exploded in my mouth.

This is the kind of book you should pick up as a late night read when you are sleep deprived. You pick it up thinking – I am just going to read a few stories and then fall asleep - but, you end up staying up longer than intended to finish the book because your fingers are itching to turn over the page to see what the next sheet with unravel.

As the name would suggest, this is a book about happiness, the kind that only touches the life of a few lucky people. However, it is also a book about loss and finding your way out of your grief. The funny thing about grief is that even though it hurts, we grieve loss by finding a sense of comfort in the emotion. We wrap it around ourselves and refuse to let go because within its confines we still find the presence of our loved ones.

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.