The Fourth Peshwa - Ranjit Desai

Fiction

Meh

Historical Fictions are a guilty pleasure for me. I picked up this book thinking it would be fun. I have not read anything by Ranjit Desai before, so finding new authors is always fun as well.

The author takes us through the life of a Peshwa, one of the leaders of the earstwhile Maratha empire.  The novel does include details about life as a Maratha royal, and definitely includes warfare and strategy. 

Unfortunately, I found this book incredibly hard to follow - and not for good reasons. The author introduces too many characters in too rapid succession with absolutely no explanation about any of them. Most of the characters fell flat for me too. They seemed too 2-D and I couldn't relate to any of them as real people. Desai also missed his chance to develop a strong character for the Peshwa's wife. 

Overall, it was a disappointment. 

~Becky~

The Boy Who Loved Trains - Deepak Sapra

Non-Fiction

Read it

I haven't read anything by Deepak Sapra, if he has written anything else, either. I thought this was a story and I liked the cover. It turned out to be something quite different.

This autobiographical book is about the author's career with Indian railways, from his training to much later in life. It's a good window into the life of those who work in the railways. I found out that the railways are just as bureaucratic as many other civil services.  I don't know anyone who works in the railways, nor have a read much, so this was fun to go through.

Sapra's conversational tone help the reader get into his anecdotes and keep reading. While it does drag a bit in certain places, I enjoyed this book. I am a firm fan of riding in trains, this helped me understand those who make that possible.

Read it!

~Becky~

Half a Million and Rising - Anirudha Dutta

Non-Fiction

Read it

I haven't ready anything previously be Anirudh Dutta, but with a title and subject matter as this book has, I was very interested in what he has to say.

Violence against women, social attitudes, and change are big topics for any country. India is a country where these topics are bigger than most. But they need to be addressed on a continual basis and Dutta attempts to do just that.

Most people remember the Nirbhaya case that happened in 2012. It was horrific and happened right after I moved to India. That case has created a pre and post Nirbhaya environment in people's thinking about sexual assault, rape, and respecting women. One would think that with all the coverage this case got, people and the government would have been galvanized into action. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case. It has opened up awareness of a broad scale struggle between those who wish to drag India into a modern mindset, and those who continue to employ brutal methods to continue suppressing development, modernity and women.

Sexual assault and atrocities don't spring out of nowhere. Dutta gets to the heart of the matter by identifying some of the long-standing underpinning ideas that contribute to the negative attitudes and disrespect for women. Dutta sets out to understand if the condition of women is at all improving by measuring some metrics and connecting with both the young women in different settings and communities and their mothers to see what has changed.

I absolutely think that Dutta's objective is important, and needs to be done. Unless the social attitudes that have created such a dire circumstance for women change, they will continue to suffer. He also delves into some of the different NGO's that are involved with raising women and why they are necessary.

Dutta's thesis is hopeful. He does make a very good point that the social attitudes are indeed changing, and that the younger generation of women is indeed aiming higher and feeling freer than ever. However, it seems a bit too simplistic to me. I understand that this topic is huge, and to factor in every single metric for change would result in an epic no one would write, none the less read, I think this gives a false sense of hope and optimism.

The harsh truth, is that while life is changing for some women, and some women feel freer and more empowered, overall attitudes and the level of conservatism has not swung as far as Dutta would like to portray. Not only have assaults and sexual violations increased in visibility for the public in the last few years, the response to these events continues to be disgustingly lukewarm and ineffective. India has miles and miles to go in order just to stop these tragic events for women, leave alone see and treat them as equal to men.

Read this for it's hopeful tone. It's a well researched and written book, but don't be fooled by false hopes. 

~Becky~ 

Poonachi - Perumal Murugan

Fiction

Read it!

I believe I have already gushed about Perumal Murugan this month, so I will refrain from doing that in this post. But folks, Perumal Murugan. He's such a fun author.

Poonachi is a story about a goat named Poonachi. She is dropped with a goat herd when she is kitten sized by a giant who doesn't give any straight, useful answers. It's all very odd. But then the goatheard and his wife fall in love with Poonachi and decide to do whatever they can to raise her. 

Murugan's personification of Poonachi is most adorable. The thoughts portrayed from the goat are almost human, but goat enough that it's not dumb. 

Poonachi is never quite accepted by the other goats, nor their kids, but is happy with the goatherd's wife. She goes on adventures and has quite the satisfying childhood. When she reaches maturity, she is mated and conceives 7 kids, just as the giant predicted. As you can imagine, this is exhausting for both Poonachi and the goatherd and his wife as they try to keep all the kids alive. A mystical stranger comes along and buys all of the kids to Poonachi's distress. Poonachi even falls in love at one point, though no ones knows, cares, and she is not allowed to stay with that goat.

The author's portrayal of a paranoid, controlling government is hilarious and very much Kafka-esque. The government has a pre-occupation with piercing ears of both citizens and animals. I have to admit, if Murugan was alluding something else here, I must have completely missed it. 

The book ends with Poonachi's death. There simply isn't enough food for her body to support another pregnancy with so many kids as rain and drought has overtaken the land. 

It's a simple, but very touching book. Read it.

~Becky~

Jasoda - Kiran Nagarkar

 Fiction

Read it

I've read a few other novels by Kiran Nagarkar and I am very much a fan. This novel was quite a bit shorter than God's Little Soldier (Whew!) and quite different in content than either of the other two novels I have read. The brilliance of this book is that the main character, Jasoda, could be any one of the millions of poor women in India with little choice in who they are married off to, making due with far too little, and having very few choices.

The book opens, strikingly, with Jasoda committing female infanticide. Its quite shocking. We learn later that family pressure is the major factor, but each time it happens, it is shocking. Jasoda is married to a do nothing man who is obsessed with toadying up to a local erstwhile prince in the hopes that someday it will pay off and he will be rewarded. This leaves Jasoda to manage the house, their sons, and her mother in law. As the water situation in their village becomes dire, Jasoda takes her 2 sons and mother in law and walk until they reach a train station, much like the rest of the village. They travel to Bombay to make a go of it. Being chased off by the pavement mafia and later raped by the "landlord" for their section of pavement, Jasoda learns how to be inventive and make a living for her and her sons. She finds herself pregnant again and her sons end up going out to work begging and sorting garbage. To say the least, Jasoda and her children do not have it easy.

One son finds a patron who helps him get educated, another son gets lost and never reappears, the third son comes and goes like the wind, the fourth son is born with disabilities due to a difficult deliver. The youngest child, the only daughter Jasoda allows to live, is pampered and spoiled and taken care of her whole life. Jasoda becomes successful running a snack cart and invents new dishes. 

After a while, she hears that people have started returning to the village and that development is under way. She also packs up the children who would come with her and heads back to the village. While they were gone, her husband murders the prince and takes his place and bizarrely becomes an oil baron. He re-marries in order to get a male heir. Jasoda's husband finds them a room in another village before disappearing once more. Jasoda again picks up the pieces and opens her own food cart. She becomes so successful that she opens a few restaurants. Jasoda's husband reappears randomly and declares that he is going to stay in their flat. She puts up with him for a while before arranging for him to have a fatal accident when he tries to sell the restaurants out from under her.

Jasoda's pluck, grit, and ingenuity is a tribute to women with shitty husbands everywhere who don't have anyone else to depend on. She's not an incredibly complex character, but readers are definitely able to identify with her. 

Read it!

~Becky~

Girls of Mumbaistan - Piyush Jha

Fiction

Read it

I resisted this novel quite a few times (for no obvious reason that I can identify) when going to the bookshop, but then finally gave in. Piyush Jha takes you on a short, succinct tour of Mumbai and life for some average women. Really, they could be almost any woman.

The first novella is about a woman who gets taken in by a scam artist in order to try to save her husband's life. Jha does a fantastic job of unravelling the plot knot and the twist at the end was superb. I won't say much besides this so as not to spoil it, but I enjoyed this story immensely. The ending too, is extremely satisfying.

The second novella is a short vignette about a woman who works in a rich family's house as a housemaid. Gritty, realistic, and the unfortunate reality for many people, this story is short but powerful. Again, I won't say much more, but well worth the time.

The final story is about a transvestite police woman. Hijras are a part of society, but almost never accepted, included, or talked about. Jha turned this on it's ear. His character in this story is tough, inventive, and empathetic. Another flavor of suspense story, I very much liked this as well.

Overall, I don't think I've ready anything else besides Pyush Jha, if anything else is out there, but I would love to do so in the future.

Read it!

~Becky~

Slum Child - Bina Shah

Fiction

Read It

I can't quite remember if I read this book previously or not. Usually I do remember. It was vaguely familiar but not so much that I could say for certain. Even if I did, I'm glad I read this a second time because I gathered so much more than I would have the first time.

Bina Shah has brought together a plethora of interesting things in this book. So many so that I found myself  fascinated. The main character, Laila, is a young Christian girl (1) who lives with her mother, sister, step father (2), and 3 younger step brothers. The family lives in Karachi Pakistan in a slum. Her step father is a Muslim (3). The story follows Laila as she wanders through a seemingly happy childhood with her family. Things take a darker turn when her sister develops tuberculousis and the family doesn't have enough money to have her treated and she passes away. Laila develops an unlikely friend with a drug addict (4) who later goes to rehab and gets his life together. After her sister's death, her mother sinks into a childlike, confused state (5) and stays there. As her mother was the sole bread winner, Laila is dismayed when she hears her father concede to sell her for money. She runs away (6) and finds an unlikely alliance in her drug addict friend and his bus driving cousin (7). She goes to her mother's old employer and begs for work. She is taken in and works as an ayah/househelp for a while. She discovers that she has lost her faith (8) and that she just cannot leave her helpless mother behind. She becomes close to the spoiled, rich children who she cared for (9) and they end up helping her when she is attacked by her father's friend when she goes home to get her mother. They kill him (10) and put her mother in a home. (11)

As you can see, there's a LOT going on there. The story of Punjabi Christians in a Muslim dominated country is a startling one. The author does justice to make sure the reader understands the suspicion and hatred that pops up between communities. She also addresses losses of faith, the heartless demeaning condition of slums, and how resentments are sometimes raised between financial classes even though there is no animosity. It's not a difficult book to read in terms of comprehension, but you will chew over the concepts for a while. Shah's main character is accessible - she's a little girl. The fights and responsibilities she is forced to take on age her, but as heartbreaking as they are, they are the fight of millions of young impoverished women.  Take the time to read this. It's an interesting look at a minority community.

~Becky~

Bhendi Bazaar - Vish Dhamija

Fiction

Meh

I picked up this book because I saw the movie adaptation of Bhendi Bazaar. I think that with very few exceptions, novels are better than movies.  I'm not quite sure if that is the case here. 

Let me clarify a bit. The story is good. Dhamija was able to keep the pace and mask the resolution right until the end - which was brilliant. However, his use of English is awkward to the point of being humorous. Perhaps it's just a language/translation problem - but from other data points in how he writes, I suspect not.  I'm not trying to discourage people from reading his work, but a good editor would have helped him out a lot. 

Bhendi Bazaar is a murder mystery. A serial killer who mutilates men to be specific. The story follows the DCP on the case - a woman to Dhamija's credit - as she fights to match wits and catch the killer. This is unusual on a few fronts. I'm not going to do a spoiler here, because the end is brilliant, but you won't see it coming, I guarantee that. And I love when an author is able to drop just enough hints to keep you restless for a resolution, but not enough that he or she assumes the reader is dumb and does too much forshadowing, leading to an easy guess.

As Dhamija himself writes in the forward, his main character is a good one. She has personality, flaws, and people can relate to her.  I wouldn't mind reading more of Dhamija's work with this character. One point I didn't much care for - and this is a common trap that writers fall for in order for their work to be accessible - is over explaining. There were way too many asides about India, police, and Mumbai. I get it - those points were important, but it would have been better if Dhamija worked them into the story in other ways. I also was left unimpressed by the romance. Sure, profilers/psychologists are useful in a case like this, but I didn't really get into the connection and transition. I think he could have either developed this or left it out all together,

Read it if you are in the mood for a Mumbai serial killer mystery and can get around the awkward writing - the story is good.

~Becky~

Moustache - S. Hareesh

Fiction

Read it

S. Hareesh is a new author for me. I actually picked this up due to the cover - it's very nicely done. I've mentioned many times that authors from different places have different flavors. This is the first one I've read with a Keralite author and it was delightful. 

The novel is set in the backwaters of Kerala in small villages. By chance, an idle youth is pulled into a play in which he is made to wear a mustache and be a policeman. He plays his role so well, and scares quite a few audiences. When the play is done, he decides to keep it. The novel follows all of the antics and legends that build around this one normal person who grows an epic mustache. One cannot quite decide what is real and what is legend after a while. As lore often goes, people hear things about themselves that are absurd. But they rarely correct these ideas - as does our main character. He spends much of his time running from both law enforcement as well as unruly mobs who blame him for all manner of things. 

I truly felt sorry for the main character as he obviously has become enamored with his identity and likes it, though it keeps him from leading a normal life. He has a love interest, but is kept away from her tragically for a long time. 

S. Hareesh involves the reader to quite some detail on cast politics and social norms between them. While it's uncomfortable to read and shameful that such things happen, he doesn't pull punches and describes things just so. The author employs two very distinct and different tones. There are conversations between a father and son about the legends of the Mustach Man, and then there are the the exploits themselves. The author has done a masterful job of making them sound very different. 

I found myself getting slightly frustrated by the pace occasionally, but the author simply refuses to be rushed, and there's something to be said for that. Read this if you want some historical context on Kerala, caste, and of course legends. 

~Becky~

Two Years Eight Months and Twenty Eight Nights - Salman Rushdie

Fiction

Read it

My love of Salman Rushdie novels is not really a secret. This was an extension of that appreciation. Unfortunately, it's a classic Rushdie - meaning there's a lot going on that is under the surface and I feel like I missed most of it. 

The story is easy to follow - it's a mythological type book with genies, and good and evil. It's also a very interesting love story in it's own way.  Ordinary people are called upon to settle a fight against evil forces - in the form of very real Djins. Rushdie enjoys himself setting up characteristics for both the good and evil djins, and makes them very accessible - they are almost human in their flaws. Rushdie cannot be rushed through the plot. His ponderous style takes a while to get used to, but one has to appreciate how methodical he is. 

I'm not going to say much more than this because you must read his novels to truly appreciate them, and anything else I say is just going to be noise at this point.

Read it!

~Becky~

Escape to India - Philippa J Kaye

Fiction

Read it

I believe this is the first novel I can say that I know the authoress first hand. Philippa is a kick-ass lady.  Her situation is in some ways very similar to mind, and it was a joy to meet her and read her book. 

Escape to India is about a woman who finds out her boyfriend is married - not divorced like he said - and literally just bounces to spend some time in India to gain space and perspective. She is going to run a wild life lodge and encounters some crazy and heartwarming characters along the way. There's romance, a surprise appearance of the boyfriend, and lots of fun info about jungles. It's a fun novel. I almost thought it was biographical until I almost reached the end and figured out my assumption was wrong.

What I loved about this novel was that Philippa gets India. The characters, the situations, they're all true to someone who would have gone to do what the heroine does. Probably because Philippa has spent a great amount of time here. It's not a tourist novel, and that's amazingly refreshing. Yet it comes across as quite accessible. I also loved that her main character was flawed - as we all are to be honest - but you root for her none the less. Screw the boyfriend, even I wanted to drop kick him.

To be sure, the jungle/safari/tourism sector of India isn't all of it. India is fucking huge and the variety is mind blowing. But I felt like I understood better about it - which for me is what I'm usually after in a book. 

Leave alone my personal admiration for Philippa, I can't wait to read what she writes next. I would love to hear more accounts (fictional or not!) about her exploits here. 

Read it!

~Becky~

Estuary - Perumal Murugan

Fiction

Read it

I know that as I read and write reviews, I use the word favorite quite often. I simply can't help it - there are so many reasons for having favorites and having them for different reasons. To be quite trite, Perumal Murugan is also a favorite author of mine. I had read One Part Woman and Poonachi previously and greatly enjoyed myself. It's been a joy to watch his writing evolve. The BookWorm clerk - a brilliant salesman and always handing me more books I simply must read - suggested this. As I know I enjoy Murugan, I readily agreed. That and the book cover is beautiful. I'm a sucker for beautiful covers. Please don't inform the BookWorm clerk.

Estuary is a story about a family of Asuras (loosely in mythology creatures that are humanoid with extra powers). A government clerk father, a home making mother, and a college aged, spoiled son. Murugan takes us through a stunningly accessible journey of a family trying to send their son to college and make peace with the new technologies and changing world. The father is the main character, and the one who struggles the most. Their son was born after years of trying and superstitious intervention. As with all parents, he is dismayed to find out that his son is not longer the happy child who wanted all the attention and has now developed strong opinions of his own. The son's ever increasing financial demands and increasing distance cause the father great pain and he struggles to re-connect. As he is introduced to the technologies that his son is most comfortable with, the father is overcome with panic that his most precious son may go down the wrong path and completely wreck his life. After a small mental breakdown, a kind friend brilliantly works with him to see the positive sides that technology can bring and helps him learn to use the things so that it isn't an amorphous scary entity.

The brilliance of Murugan is how accessible he is. Anyone with children can identify easily with the anxiety that these parents feel and how real the fear of technology, losing the child to the wrong path, and losing touch are for every parent. I'm not quite sure why Murugan chose to use Asuras as a theme and he hasn't really clued us in to why this is important. Perhaps it's simply my lack of understanding of Asuras that is the problem. Either which way, I very much understood and empathized with the main character.  It was a breath of fresh air and very refreshing to read after the previous two challenging novels.  His portrayal of college visits and putting young adults in horse harnesses and blinders so that they only study, and how the parents fell in line without thought was particularly brilliant and hilarious.

I cannot wait to see what Murugan has up next. 

Absolutely read it.

~Becky~

The Princess and the Political Agent - Binodini

 Fiction

Verdict: A difficult one, but Read it

As I mentioned, when one wanders through Indian novels and writers, each brings a specific flavor that can help the reader understand the culture that the novel stems from. Binodini's novel is no exception. While my daughter had a Manipuri boyfriend for a while and I have had some...acquaintances from Manipur and Assam as well, I have had very little exposure to Manipuri Culture and no exposure to literary works from there. To be quite frank, when i picked this up, I mistakenly thought that this was a Bengali novel. I was thrilled to find out otherwise. As with my previous post on Attia Hosain, the introduction to Binodini at the beginning was intimidating as hell. Related to the royal family of Manipur and quite the literary influence, Binodini has published just one novel, but many other poems and short works.

The novel follows one one of the Manipuri Princesses during the British Raj, when the Manipuri king was removed and sent into exile,  and through her life. The author has created a treasure trove of culture, court intrigue, and romance. As title suggests, the Princess ends up being a common law wife of an English Political agent. While he is portrayed as a compassionate and caring person, one cannot help but wonder why the princess would accept someone who is widely recognized as being a face of the enemy and not one of them. Binodini never really answers this question. While it is a fiction novel, she has based it on actual people and events. The princess actually was with the political agent.  

This was a difficult novel for me to follow. The author does her own thing and tells her story exactly as she wishes to - no apologies, very few explanations.  While the cultural value this novel has is quite something, it's not easily digestible. I found myself having to do additional research into words and such while I was reading. I don't fault the author for this, but those who do not invest in helping themselves understand will probably miss a great deal. I also found the characters very difficult to understand and identify with. As someone who loves Indian literature, this was frustrating for me. I also would have loved to have had further insight into interpersonal relationships between the characters. Many of the relationships were confusing at best, down right confounding at worst. True to form, Binodini has just presented the story, she does not explain. 

Manipuri literature is a new one for me, and I fully plan to see what else I can find to read from there. Hopefully I can develop my knowledge enough to fully appreciate the story Binodini has told. 

Read it, but unless you are Manipuri, plan on investing some time to investigate. If you don't, you'll miss the richness of this novel.

~Becky~

Sunlight on a Broken Column - Attia Hosain

Fiction

Read it

One of my favorite parts of books is the introduction - and even better an explanation of the author. They help open up the author's world to the reader. I had never heard of Attia Hosain before I started reading this novel. To say the least, the introduction on her was intimidating and I very much looked forward to reading her one and only novel. Anita Desai, another favorite authoress of mine wrote the forward which helped me on my way through the novel. When one investigates Indian novels, and if he or she is careful, the nuances of different locations and sub-cultures soon becomes very easily seen. This is very easy to see in Hosain's novel.

Sunlight on a Broken Column follows a young Muslim girl and her family from British era Lucknow to more modern times. The family struggles to change from a house where ladies are in purdah to learning to accept new norms. To say the least, it's not an easy transition and many struggle. It's difficult to avoid certain stereotypes when one talks about the Muslim community in India, however some of those spring from history and it's good to look at the historical attitudes to understand current culture. Hearing this from someone in the community, and in my opinion a neutral person, helps the reader get an accurate picture.

If my description doesn't tell you too much, it's because the author portrays ideas and everyday life. There's no story arc per say to follow. It's just everyday life and how it slowly changes. While this isn't always easy to follow, it's culture rich. 

I wish Attia Hosain had written other books. I would have like to delve a bit further into her mind.

Read it if you have the time to wander slowly and contemplate the breadcrumbs and cultural tidbits she lays out for you to find.

~Becky~

The Crows of Agra - Sharath Komarraju

Fiction

Verdict: If you like this sort of thing

There's a certain genre in India where people take historical figures and build fictional stories around them with just enough facts (or many facts) to make them plausible. In fact, I think this happens everywhere. I happen to enjoy them. They make history come more alive for me and make it accessible, not to mention interesting.

The Crows of Agra is a murder mystery. A pretty well done one at that. The novel starts with a very immature Akbar ruling with a regent. As he grows, and court intrigues prevail, it looks as though the regent is gunning for power and the throne. When he gets murdered, a random Brahmin (who isn't actually a Brahmin at all) who saved the king's life is called upon to unravel the mystery. And he does just that. 

There's not too much surprising that happens, though the author does manage to preserve the solution right to the very end. The only nice twist (Spoiler alert) that I found was the culprit's explanation at the end. I won't say more than that because it's no fun if you already know who dun it. 

This is a relatively short book and is an easy read. It drags a little in some places, but is overall well done. If this is your cup of tea, enjoy.

~Becky~

The Wasted Vigil - Nadeem Aslam

Fiction

Read it

This is my second book by Nadeem Aslam. I was prepared for another Pakistani in England story, but that is not what I got. What I found was even better than the first novel. 

Aslam takes us through a tragic story of a mixed family - a White Father, Afghani mother, and child - and how their lives have been linked to a Russian woman who came looking for her long lost brother. Afghanistan's history and war with Russia color the novel in the darkest of shades - you just know there are no happy endings here. And indeed you find out at the end that's true. 

The novel is fascinating, and very well done in terms of the author's understanding of Afghan culture and the reality of culture and how things are done in Afghanistan. He knows just how much hope and despair to balance to keep you moving on, desperate to prove yourself wrong that it's just that bad. But it is. 

I personally have not had much exposure to the effect that the Russians had on Afghanistan and vice versa, so that was interesting to learn about.  I most definitely look forward to reading more from Nadeem Aslam. 

It's not an easy read in terms of social niceties, but it is well worth it. Read it.

~Becky~

Moving On - Shashi Deshpande

Fiction

Read it

Shashi Deshpande is a new authoress for me, though not at all a new author for many Kannadigas, and I'm glad I tried her novel out. It's always a joy to find amazing authors.

Deshpande's novel centers around a family who's legacy is death. She slowly unwinds each death through the course of the novel, drawing the reader in to each scenario. It's not necessarily a sad novel, though the characters grieve in their own ways, but it is a reflective one. What gripped me most while reading this is that the main character is in a constant state of analysis when her father dies. He has left a conspicuous journal that leads her to understand him (and her mother and sister) better than she ever had when they were alive. 

A widow with nearly grown children, she wanders into a sexual affair and then a romance after years of denying herself contact with others. The marriage she had treasured, we come to find out through the book, was not as healthy nor functional as we thought in the beginning. Her husband also gave in to suicide for the vaguest of reasons.  Her romance at the end of the book doesn't feel like one and goes through some difficulties, though the reader ends up feeling that it may go in a positive direction.

While all of this unwinding is happening, the character is tasked with helping her daughter decide what to do with her father's house - as he has left it to his grand daughter. She deals with people breaking in, trying to strong arm her into selling it a certain way, and all the difficulties a property owner faces - not to mention a woman alone. In the end, they decide to keep the house and the guilty parties are caught. One twist is that her sexual affair ends up to be the very person who is trying to get her out of the house. 

Deshpande does a masterful job of bringing us through some of the more abstract questions and scenarios that follow death, but are far more common than we think. How well do we actually know our parents? How functional were our relationships and how much of that was just gloss that we applied because we wanted them a certain way? The author doesn't really give us answers, but she does show how the main character makes peace with her own discoveries. She also does a terrific job of portraying a woman who has incredible strength and won't be made to fall in line with what others want. 

I highly recommend this book. There are only a few things that people outside of India would struggle to understand, and the questions that Deshpande brings up are ones that we all face and can relate to. 

~Becky~

Mumbai Fables - Gyan Prakash

 Non-Fiction

Read it

It's been quite some time since I read a non-fiction book. I picked this up from the library thinking it would be stories of or from Mumbai. I was a bit wrong on that count, but was quite satisfied with the book.

Mumbai, or Bombay as I still call it, is a fascinating city. It's history and cast of famous characters are no less fascinating. Gyan Prakash has done a lovely job of drawing us into the magic of Bombay. Architecure, movies, papers, characters, legends. It's quite the read. The city that never should have been - a series of islands and land reclaimed. 

I won't go too far into all of the historical timeline, but I will say that a general knowledge of India and Mumbai is helpful.  I was hoping that Gyan Prakash would get into some of the more recent developments in Mumbai, but as many historical books do, it doesn't get into anything all that recent. 

Read it!

~Becky~

Godaan - Anurag Yadav

 Fiction

Read it if you like Village Life Novels

I picked up this novel because it proclaimed "Masterpiece of Hindi Literature" on the cover. I figured that I would check it out. While a little slow in places and extremely fatalistic, it's a good read.

The story takes place in a small village somewhere in northern India outside of Lucknow. Anurag Yadav has a field day pointing out the differences in class and mentality between villagers, the village head leader, and a group of cosmopolitan friends who occasionally run into the villagers. It's all done in a very matter of fact way without excuses for anyone. 

Hori, our main character, is a farmer. He has a wife and 3 children who are almost grown. Hori struggles to improve his situation throughout the book with no success, dragged down by circumstance, malice, and taking loans, a common plight of farmers who end up paying interest long after the loan should have been done. He fights tooth and nail - usually with only his pride left - to hold on to his land and his status as farmer, only to be trample on until all he can claim is that he is a laborer. The village head makes all his excuses about how difficult it is for Zamindars and how he should be excused from any responsibility at all for collecting taxes and fines. The cosmopolitan friends soar above it all, neither worried about money nor how their actions affect anyone.

Spoiler alert - Hori dies in the end from being over worked, a condition that I'm sure many farmers and laborers can understand well. There's absolutely no happy ending for any of the characters, so typical of Indian authors, nor is there any feel good about Hori or his circumstances and how people remain in poverty. Since not many of the people reading this book will be from a village or living in such poverty, it's an interesting exercise in awareness. 

Read it.

~Becky~

The Far Field - Madhuri Vijay

Fiction

Read it!

I initially picked up this book because the art work on the cover is beautiful, and I am very glad I did.  Madhuri Vijay has created something very special with this novel. This is my first exposure to her as an author, and I can't wait to see what else she has written/will write.

This novel is about Shalini. She is from Bangalore who has a very ordinary, yet troubled childhood. Her mother's mental issues are never spelled out, but it's clear she has something wrong. The mother is amused by a wandering Kashmiri clothing seller who comes many times to visit her in her home.  As a child, Shalini can feel that something is wrong, but can't quite put her finger on it. After her mother commits suicide, Shalini decides to find the carpet seller and get her questions answered. Only she doesn't really have a solid location for him, just an old story that he told that helps her in a starting direction. She stays with his extended family for a while and then his son when they agree to help her find him. She exists in a vacuum and passes her time there, wondering if she should stay permanently. Stumbling into a falsely peaceful looking area, she affects the lives of everyone she stays with trying to get her questions answered. Ultimately, her family finds her and a colonel brings her back, then sleeps with her. Her report on the events that she saw in Kashmir are misconstrued to assist the army and the Kashmiri's son is arrested. Shalini is left to live with the fact that inspite of her neutral intentions, her decisions have left a permanent, horrifying mark on people she grew to care about. 

The author unwinds and untangles one thread at a time for us as she goes on an epic trip to uncover some unresolved questions from Shalini's childhood. I know it sounds like a huge trope, but it's very well done. Vijay addresses mental health, infidelity, Kashmir, and how sometimes our actions have unintended, irreversible consequences. It's not a difficult read (though like most of the novels I read, it's quite long), but it does leave you feeling desperately like you wish there was a different outcome. It disturbed me for a few days after I read it.

This isn't my first exposure to the atrocities that continue to happen in Kashmir, but I was very much hoping that the ending would have been at least neutral. It definitely wasn't. I also very much enjoyed (in the literary sense, not seeing a character suffer) how the author focused not only on mental illness and how it can be difficult for an individual, but the long, ongoing consequences that the rest of the family may face. I felt a distinct concern for Shalini the entire novel as it is so obvious that she is wandering lost and trying to make sense of things that were never even spoke of, not to mention explained.

Take your time and wander through this. Its a hell of a book.

~Becky~

Hindutva or Hind Swaraj - UR Ananthamurthy

Non-Fiction

Read it if you dare

This was yet another suggestion from the book seller. It's the first non-fiction that I've read in quite some time, and readers it has left me scratching my head wondering what has happened. 

UR Ananthamurthy has created a political manifesto that I'm not even going to attempt to describe as I'm sure I would mess it all up and possible offend many people. I will say this. Mr. Ananthamurthy has an axe to grind with PM Nirendra Modi, and does such using Gandhi, Dostoevsky, and even mythological references. 

I'm not much into the painfully small details of politics in India (though I do follow what's going on), yet I just couldn't follow all of the references the author made though he took pains to leave bread crumbs. I couldn't manage to put together the simple words into the concepts that he was trying to convey. I feel that I was missing a lot of important Gandhi context that may have made it clearer. I also need to do more research on Savarkar, as I have never heard of him before. 

I happen to agree with Ananthamurthy on PM Modi, but perhaps not for the reasons he suggests - I can't quite sort that out. I suggest that you read this if you have a firm grasp oh the politics and thought processes going on during Gandhi's time. Otherwise....Good luck to you.

~Becky~

Katha Prize Stories Volume 4

 Fiction: Short Stories

Read it

I won't spend time describing the Katha series since I've already covered this once. I enjoyed these stories as well, though I think I prefer Volume 2 over 4. I'm not sure why I feel this way. 

Read it if you like short Indian stories.

~Becky~

Maps for Lost Lovers - Nadeem Aslam

Fiction

Read it

I wandered past this book in Just Books, unable to stop myself from trying out such an interestingly titled book. I'm glad I did. I've had extensive exposure to Indian authors - much to my delight - but not many (if any at all) Pakistani ones. It was definitely a textured difference to explore.

The novel centers around a Muslim Pakistani family that has settled into life in a "South Asianized" section of an English town. The two main characters are a middle aged man and wife. They have 3 children who are grown and visit far too occasionally.

The main character's brother has moved in with a divorced Pakistani woman, much to the community's dismay. The two are murdered and the book dances around who has done it until the very end. Indeed it's almost like a mystery where the strings come together at the end, but not really. In fact, while the whole novel dances around the murder, the novel itself really has very less to do with the murder (or finding the culprit) rather than focusing in excruciating depth about the cultural factors and attitudes that lead to the events themselves. The small attitudes, justifications, and rationalizations prevalent in that community that persist even though the community itself is far from the land that spawned such thoughts in the first place.

I found it very curious that the author chose to portray the wife as the move vehement believer than the husband. Indeed, he strikes one as a milquetoast character who just wants to get through his life comfortably and his morality is flexible as to what suits him. The wife is not concerned with anything but what is proper. The children, as can be expected, have vastly different outlooks and standards than their parents. 

Another interesting thing I noticed in this novel is the persistent mentions of plants, flowers, and insects. It made me wonder if it was a leftover from Urdu poetry references. 

The plot line definitely wanders and there aren't any huge surprises in this novel. Weirdly, I didn't find myself minding too much. While I try to be open to different cultures and ideas, I have to admit that this book made it difficult for me to remain indifferent to some of the cultural aspects of both Islam and Pakistan that I object to. But I did appreciate the honest look - and it was quite honest I feel. I could identify with the displaced population, desperately clinging to tradition and identity, and always feeling outside and persecuted. Overall, it has whetted my appetite to explore further into Pakistani literature. 

It's not an easy read, especially if you truly think about the attitudes behind the scenes and accept that this is their tradition. But it IS different than the standard Indian fare. It will seem shocking for those who don't understand the cultural underpinnings that have created these attitudes, but life is good when you learn about others.

Read it!

~Becky~

Katha Prize Stories volume 2

 Fiction, Short Stories

Verdict: Read it

After a long pause in our trips to the book store down town, we made the effort and went to buy school books. As you might guess reader, our purchases of course wasn't restricted to school books. It was glorious. 

Anyhow. Ahem. I had picked up Volume 4 of this series out of curiosity. Of course the staff are always more than happy to make recommendations at Book Worm too, but this one I found. On another trip to get some photos printed out, we stopped at the library. Yes. I love both book stores and the library. Sigh. I found Volume 2, and since I have a huge mushy soft spot for short fiction cultural stories, picked it up to read too.

I wasn't even aware of the Katha prize before picking up these books, but figured they must be some kind of good. I was not disappointed.   The stories are complex, varied, and from a variety of locations and languages through India. The editor has taken some care to ensure that if a word should be translated it is, but mostly the reader is left without many clues to sift through the stories and try to decifer the culturally significant markers in each story. It's wonderful to sort through. 

I think that an understanding of Indian culture in general, and local cultures. languages, and stories/legends are almost a must to truly enjoy and understand this collection. That isn't to say that one who doesn't have this knowlege won't enjoy the stories. They may but probably not to the fullest.

My suggestion on this is to read it. Enriching yourself and expanding your cultural boundaries is always a useful direction to grow.

~Becky~

Two Lives - Vikram Seth

 Non Fiction

Verdict: Read it

I picked up this book because I had fought my way all through A Suitable Boy (happily I might add, but it's a huge book) and An Equal Music and wanted to read more from him. I wasn't quite prepared for a non-fiction biography type of (also long!) adventure, but that is what I ended up with.

Seth takes people into the lives of his Uncle and Aunt, whom he spent time with as a young man. Both people had extraordinary lives and Seth does an excellent job examining them, both from an independent perspective as well as a family one. After reading A Suitable Boy, Two Lives was illuminating about Seth as an author, and the family that spawned the ideas for A Suitable Boy. 

I enjoy family sagas in general, and there were old photos - also + points for me. Seth wanders into so many topics that it's quite the mindful to consider. It's quite something how people's lives twist and turn and wander in the most random of directions. Seth's uncle went to dental school in Germany. He happened to be living with his future wife's family as a boarder right before WW2. He leaves and goes to England to begin his career. He has his own stint in the military which results in him losing a part of one arm. His wife, a Jewish German is given the opportunity to leave Germany when things start to get difficult for Jewish people. She takes it and survives, unlike most of her family. The two wander into mid life, and eventually settle into a companionable marriage that doesn't produce any children. 

Seth does a brilliant job of exploring many different themes through the book. Not the least of which is how WW2, views of Jewish people in Germany at the time, and how it affected his aunt's entire life. He also gets into how we may not know people we love when they are alive, and only get a small window is we happen to run into letters or memories from others into other sides of people after they pass. He explores cultural ideas of families, an interracial marriage at a time when it was not common.

Vikram Seth's life paralleled his Uncle's in many strange and wonderful ways. It's quite interesting to watch this as it unfolds. One cannot avoid the thoughts that patterns within families determine many things.  

The most interesting thing for me, was the author's dismay at the end of the book over how his uncle had changed into someone he didn't know due to age and mental decline. How someone walked into their lives and took the property from under their noses. The property itself was less hurful than comments that were made about life long loving relationships - both due to age related confusion and unmet expectations. I found this fascinating because it's not a subject often discussed in such brutal honesty. We don't like to think that others may change because they are old and uncomfortable, or slightly confused. We don't like to talk about that people respond bitterly when they feel their expectations aren't met. 

As I mentioned, Seth is a prolific writer and his books are not short. But they are well worth the investement. Read it.

~Becky~

Delhi Noir - Omair Ahmad et Al

Fiction

Short Stories

As I mentioned, I have been very into short stories as of late. I have to be honest, the introduction to this collection sold me before I even started on the stories. The stories did not disappoint either. 

These stories feature the grittiness of life in Delhi. After visiting a few times, Delhi is not a place I'd ever want to visit again, for many of the reasons that come to the forefront of these stories. They are not happy ones, nor ones that give you any hope for humanity. Yet people move along with their lives because that's just how Delhi is. 

The authors and stories chosen gel very well together and do an excellent job of portraying the city in a realistic way that is often missing from the sanitized, glamorous life that the rich and famous live. 

The Moor's Last Sigh - Salman Rushdie

Fiction

Novel

Salman Rushdie has long been one of my favorite authors. He challenges my brain in ways that are subtle, but rigorous. I love it. 

This novel is a generational family epic of ridiculous proportions. Just about everything about this family is exceptional - some in good ways, some in terrible ones. 

True to Indian form, there's no happy ending, and it's not always clear who is right and wrong. You can't help but root for Rushdie's characters though. They're deep and very interesting, even though they are all realistically flawed. 

As I mentioned, Rushdie is never easy to read. He simply operates at a level that most of us never see. As such, his stories are very simple to read, but never are the simple story he has on the surface. There is always an under story that is happening in parallel. If you don't know how to look for it, you would never see it.  I know that I definitely need to looks through a few cliff notes to make sure I understand what happened.

Rushdie is one of those authors that you must read during your life time, if not for the enjoyment then for the experience.

Read it!

~Becky~ 

The Greatest Odia Stories Ever Told - Leilawati Mohapatra et al

Fiction - Short Stories
Read it

Short Fiction stories that tell the history and culture of a place have caught my attention as of late, especially in India. I have yet to branch out into exploring other places, but I'm sure I will. This is a collection of translated Odia stories.

I found the stories and the overall ethos of the stories to be rather curious. They are simple, neutral, and matter of fact. They did not conform, as I suspected they might, to the overall pathos that Indian writers can't help but operate in. For those who don't know, Orissa is overall a rather poor place, with a lot of tribal people and farmers. These are not metropolitan stories, they are stories of simple, poor but getting by people. Yet there's no fixation on that. It's just about their lives and how they get through and how relationships work.

A few more curious things stood out to me. There was a story with a prostitute - The Whore : A Love Story - that featured a prostitue. It was refreshingly free of moral judgments and societal separations - it was simply a man and a woman who had a non conventional relationship. Salvation was one of the most touching, beautiful, non conventional love stories I have heard. A man and his sister in law who lived together and supported each other after his wife died, without ever looking at or talking to each other to observe social propriety. Yet they knew each other so well by the end of her life they didn't have to speak to know what the other was thinking or suffering. The book goes on this way with interesting and varied stories.

Do read it, it's a breath of fresh air.

~Becky~

The Lowland - Jhumpa Lahiri

Fiction
Verdict: Read it

You'll be hard pressed to find me un-supportive of Jhumpa Lahiri. This book is not an exception.

The novel traces two brothers through their paths, divergent from Tolly Gunge Calcutta. Each has his own path - and they are very different - that traverse idiologies, countries, and even relationships. What Lahiri really explores here are personal choices and priorities. For anyone that has had a sibling that they love but is opposite of themselves, this will ring true.

Lahiri recognizes that nurture will be the same for siblings (although it's not necessarily the same experience) , but people will take different paths and decide that different things are important.

I also found it curious that Lahiri recognized the wasteland that is widow-hood and remarriage. The protagonist marries his brother's widow, and it becomes increasingly clear that while they have shared experiences, they do not belong together.

In a surprising rally, this book becomes a feminist anthem. The female uses her husband's brother to transition her life into something meaningful, but not permanent.

In a side curiosity, the author explores Naxalism and how the personal experience influences the family.

This is a book so packed with experiences you almost cringe at what comes next, but you know it will keep going and that each experience will be valuable.

Verdict: Definitely read it. It's a powerhouse.

~Becky~

The Krishna Key - Ashwin Sanghi

Fiction
Verdict: Depends on your tolerance of mythology

I have read Ashwin Sanghi previously. This is a book I have been meaning to read for quite some time now, so when the librarian mentioned it, I decided to just go for it.

Ashwin brings his audience through a suspense novel concerning some artifacts, the Indian mythological system, murder, and misplaced righteousness. Spoiler - I didn't finish it. I'll get to that in a minute.

I enjoy Ashwin Sanghi's writing, aside from a few novel-specific points He's competent, coherent (or at least has a good editor!), and overall spins a good story.

Why it didn't work for me:
1. I appreciate mythology, I truly do. I'm not sure if Sanghi was trying to appeal to a wider audience than India, but he over explains the mythological concepts and connection in the guise of a teacher/student dynamic. This bothers me because a, I'd bet that almost every Indian knows these stories, b, trying to sell them as actual events here is not going to be argued with too much, and c, your student is 40 years old - she won't be asking level 1 questions.
2. I will never be convinced that the Mahabharata's stories are any more true than the bible or Koran. Less likely in fact.
3. The characters were caricatures. The geeky but hot student, the chain smoking, rough voiced female cop that scares the shit out of her colleagues and everyone in general.....come on.


If you have some time and you like mythology and the echo chamber that exists here about proving questionable events, then feel free. Not my cup of tea.

~Becky~

The Bankster - Ravi Subramanian

Fiction
Verdict: Time Pass

As Just Books is still not trading books between branches (that I know of), this was another book I chose to read so that I wouldn't inconvenience the librarian into finding more interesting things. I have never read Ravi Subramanian, so I thought I'd give him a go and see.

The book is a suspense novel. The author makes a stab at different plots that wind around each other to eventually make sense in the end. It's a mix of bankers, nuclear energy, blood diamonds, and murder. 

While it's a decent time pass story, the author has a while to go in terms of writing styles. I became overly conscious of him telling me why things were the way they were, rather than just showing them. I.e. "Bhaskar walked down his driveway and picked up the mail. He had always done that because his father taught him that the mailman was a symbol of punctuality." It did however, give me enough discomfort to go back and edit my own novels for such irritations. So there's that. 

Read it if you have the time and patience, it's a good concept, only execution needs a little polishing.

~Becky~

The Enigma of Arrival - V.S. Naipaul

Fiction
Verdict: God speed young man

There are very few books that I read that I do not finish. I will stubbornly persist until my eyes bleed on occasion because there may be some redeeming value to a book at some point. That's not what we're going to discuss today. I just couldn't.

This isn't my first run in with V.S. Naipaul, and due to all the hullabaloo about how brilliant he is, I thought that I might give him another go as an author. I just couldn't find my stride or anything interesting about the first third of this book. 

Naipaul wanders around and around in the English countryside without a purpose. Unfortunately, I don't find the English Countryside all that fascinating. It gets slightly more interesting when he starts on his journey, but not much. 

Maybe there is a grand point to this novel, and perhaps it does pick up half way through. I will leave that to the heartier souls who are brave enough to get that far without fear that the novel will be one big long description of what's going on around the narrator. I'll have to sit this one out.

Let's see if I have the fortitude to pursue Naipaul in the future.


~Becky~

Baumgartner's Bombay - Anita Desai

Fiction
Verdict: Read it

Anita Desai is a favourite of mine, so when Justbooks offered me a selection of her books because they aren't shipping what I want, I picked one I hadn't read yet. 

I have to tell you internet, the forward was intimidating. Pulling together Germany, WW2, an internment camp, and India and it's a mess of confusion. Definitely an angle I've never even remotely thought of. It took me a while to get into, partly because of the reason I just said, and partly because Desai's main character is, so.....bland. He's not wildly loveable, hateable, or even notable. But he's had one hell of a life. 

However I did get into it. And had a hard time putting it down. Desai gets into being a long term foreigner who tries to fit in, mixed families, people without a solid direction in life, and what it means when you no longer belong somewhere you thought was home. Right up my alley if I do say so myself.

Underneath it all, Baumgartner is a good man. It unfortunately costs him in the end, but he's a harmless character. He has a spate of run ins with decent people also, making his life nothing fancy, but comfortable and not traumatic.  I guess what's so striking about him is how ordinary and uninteresting him. He's truly the ordinary man. If you didn't know his history and his life, you'd just assume he was a plain doughnut.

Not that I'm an expert or anything like that, but there are very few things that take me by surprise about India anymore. The internment camp, however, really threw me sideways. It was such a logical but surprising occurrence.  No one ever talks about India in relation to WW2 so I assumed it was a typical isolationist country, totally neglecting that Britain's rule in India would have had consequences for Germans, Jewish or not. I definitely will read up on this more.

It's rare to find an Indian author who incorporates anything but mildly British references, and Anita Desai does a masterful job of it. I truly believe she understands the cultural references she includes. It's an amazing thing to watch.

My only complaint is the German poetry - in German - that persists through the book. As a non-German speaker, I wish I could have understood these snipets. Languages leave clues that help us understand context and I definitely felt it when I couldn't appreciate those as well.

Do read it for a different perspective on Indian literature.

~Becky~ 

Em and the big Hoom - Jerry Pinto

Fiction
Verdict: Read it

I'm not a big believer in reading the back of the book too carefully to see what a novel is about. I'm more of an "Oooh shiny" about the cover type book picker. Meh. I like to take my chances and revel in amazing finds. And the occasional disappointment. Ahem.

I haven't read anything from Jerry Pinto as yet and so new authors (for me) are always exciting. I don't know what I was drawn to on the cover, but it wasn't what I expected it to be, and not in a bad way. 

India has been opening up (at least in pop culture mediums) about many issues, mental health being one of them.  I find this to be a fantastic thing - the more it's in the open, the less....judged it will become. 

Em and the big Hoom is about a Goan Catholic family. A mom, a dad, a son, and a daughter. Only the mom is manic depressive and suicidal occasionally. There's no candy coating, no pretending everything is fine, no glossing over events. Just a family doing it's best to care for and support someone whose brain is not allowing her to function as most people do. It's a powerhouse of a novel. 

Jerry Pinto explores family dynamics, the fine line between disease and personality, genetics, living with a parent who has these issues, and the burden any long term disease places on a family.

This definitely isn't a light, quick read. For someone who generally reads pretty fast, this one took me a a while as I felt I needed to digest the many themes in small chunks as to not get overwhelmed. While I was doing that, I really considered the privilege of the "peek in the window" and what it must be like to actually be in such a situation. 

It's definitely a must read. 

~Becky~

Do you Remember Kunan Poshpora - Essar et.al

Non-Fiction
Verdict: Read it

I couldn't remember why I chose this book when I picked it up recently from my to-read pile. I know, I know, you must be thinking this silly woman doesn't remember why she picks ANY book. You are partly right. The problem is that it's been a very very long time since I went to buy books at my favorite store and my to-read pile is epic. I promise you, I am very selective in what I read, and I do not chose books at random.

I thought perhaps Kunan Poshpora was a person, hence the book was a biography, when I picked up this book to read it. Unfortunately that was incorrect. Kunan and Poshpora are small villages in Kashmir that went through an atrocity when the army came in and beat the men and gang raped quite a few women. This tragedy occurred in 1991. The authors of this book are a group of women who have come together to lodge a public complaint against the army and the judiciary for non action on their behalf over what happened.

As with other books on atrocities that have happened, this is a difficult read. The words are simple to understand, but the cruelty of the act and inaction afterwards really stick with you. I personally feel it is important to read about terrible things that have happened, if for no other reason than validating that they did happen and should not happen again.

Rape is a horrendous crime no matter what the circumstances are. The authors' assertion that the Indian army uses rape as a tool to subjugate and demoralize Kashmir is truly disturbing, especially when you consider that Kashmir is a very unstable, unhappy place due to many other factors.

I also was very unsettled reading about how the army has the ASPA act protecting them from ever being held accountable for acts such as these. This is unacceptable; there is never a case where rape is sanctioned as a tool of the armed forces for any reason. As with other countries, the army in India enjoys a massive amount of support, and very little accountability. The army's snide answers to the accusations and efforts to delay the case and stonewall justice were disheartening when holding the culprits accountable could have prevented this from happening again. People, even army men, learn quickly what they can get away with.

I was also horrified by the uninterested response of the police and government. I live in India and I understand how things work here, but a judge being on vacation when many court hearings were supposed to take place just made me angry. The sheer lack of interest in anyone but the victims made me lean toward justice squads, rather than this farce of a court system.

Overall it's a tough read, especially because the reader knows that this won't be resolved any time soon and could very easily happen again. Changing India is like changing the direction of a continent rolling down a hill. It very often feels impossible.

~Becky~

Left from the Nameless Shop - Adithi Rao

Fiction
Verdict: Read it

Left from the nameless shop is a novel that has short stories from a village woven together. Reminiscent of R.K. Narayan's Malgudi days, these stories are easy to read and make you feel nice. I've often said that authors from different places have their own particular flavor (Indians, Bengalis, Europeans, etc) and while every author has his or her own style, Adithi Rao definitely is reminiscent of the other Kannadiga writers I have had the pleasure of reading. 

While I didn't grow up in a small Indian village, I did grow up in a small town in the US. Some of the stories that the author included were very identifiable for me and reminded me of some of my own experiences growing up. Lacking the pathos of other Indian authors, you feel happy reading these and trust the author that even if things don't work out perfectly, the sky won't fall. 

The only complaint that I have for this book is that there are quite a few Kannada phrases included that aren't followed by translation. While I can guess through context what they mean, as a reluctant non Kannada speaker, this was frustrating for me as language adds depth to writing. Phrases can also be learned this way.

This is not a long or difficult novel to read and a great way to spend a weekend camped out on the couch in quarantine. 

Read it!

~Becky~

Three Merchants of Bombay - Lakshmi Subramanian

NonFiction
Verdict: It depends

I picked this book up from my favorite bookstore long before we all came under house arrest for Covid.  These were supposed to be short stories, and I love short stories that  are about people. Set in the British Colonial times in India, the book follows three prominent money lenders and merchants during that time. 

I started reading. The intro was a very heavy, in depth account of the situation and situation at the time. Cool. I love extra information that helps me understand the context. Only it went on, and on.  I really had a hard time separating the intro from the actual start of the "stories."  When the author did get going, the focus of the book was more on the British than the actual merchants that the book was about! 

This is definitely an academic piece, and the scope that the author is trying to cover is quite large. Unfortunately, I couldn't ever identify with or understand the characters she is trying to explain. And eventually I got bored of the repetitive sentences about the British. 

I guess If I would have had a better idea about what the book was about then perhaps my expectations would have been different. So whether or not you read it depends on if this is something that interests you. It didn't hold mine and I didn't finish it. 

~Becky~

You Beneath Your Skin - Dayamanti Biswas

Fiction
Verdict: Read it.

This novel was my elder daughter's choice. I tend to read things she picks up so long as it's not teen fiction. I'm glad she passed this along, as it was a very interesting book.

The book is about a single mom struggling to raise an autistic son. The plot is loosely centered around her family, as well as a serial rapist/murder suspense plot that runs parallel. The author addresses many many social issues in this book that are usually ignored. Autism/mental health, acid attacks, entitlement, affairs, mixed race relationships and divorce are just some of the issues the author includes in this novel. Most of these issues could take a novel each, but the author does a decent job of weaving them together in a realistic enough manner and showcasing how one family can have many problems across levels.

Unfortunately, tackling so many heavy issues in one book leads to none of them being looked at in more than a general sense. It also leads to a semi-unrealistic situation; this is a lot of issues for one family alone to be dealing with.  The book does drag a little in a few places,

Overall a good time pass and it's good that these issues are addressed. Read it!

Rani - Jaishree Misra

Fiction
Verdict: Read it

When I added this book to my reading list, I don't think I realized it was about Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi. As with many of the books I read, I can't quite remember how I picked this one. Anyhow, it was a fun surprise.

For those who aren't aware, Lakshmibai was the queen of a small state called Jhansi during the times of the British colonialization of India. She fought against British forces and was Martyred. 

I have a soft spot for historical epochs that bring characters to life and give us a peek into what they may have been like as people. This book does a nice job of that, even considering that it was fiction and much may have been the author's creative license. The story follows the Rani from her simple but privileged childhood, through her teenaged marriage to a king, to her ultimate demise at the hands of the British army. Even before reading this novel, I found her to be an inspiring figure. 

In the interest of honesty, the novel drags in some places, and it's a lengthy sized book. I also was very curious about the quasi romance that the Rani had with a British officer. I'm curious about how much that was embellished simply to have a romantic angle in the novel. 

Overall a good time pass and a pleasant way for someone like me to get a better understanding of a historical figure. Read it!

~Becky~

Mrs. Ali's Road to Happiness - Farahad Zama

Fiction
Verdict: Good time pass

With the enforced lockdown of Bangalore, I find myself with much more time to read these days. As Justbooks showed up unexpectedly at my doorstep the day before the lockdown began, I found myself with 2 new books to read. Not that I wouldn't have had plenty anyhow next to my bed, ha!

Anyhow, I started on Farahad Zama's novel. Set in Vizag, one of my favorite cities, the novel takes us through some hot button topics. The novel centers around an older couple, Mr. and Mrs. Ali. They are average, ordinary, middle class and middle road Indian Muslims. No surprise, the novel is about that segment of society here. The author is obviously writing for an international audience, as many of the community specific words uses are immediately explained after. This is both helpful and a bit irritating.  I also kept waiting for the Telugu influence to creep into this book as they are all Telugus, but this never made an appearance.

The author had me thinking about adoption in India as well as community sentiments. I had not thought on this before and it was an interesting window into the difficulties some people face with adoption, and how strongly others feel they have a right to enforce their culture and beliefs on others.  Even the police are not interested in legal papers when an election is coming and someone has used their influence to get into someone's business. 

The adopted boys mother was not able to change her circumstances in the end other than moving to Mumbai (where people would hopefully mind their own concerns), but she still was refreshingly outspoken and did not allow herself to be walked over or controlled. The gathering of family behind her in support also was a very heartening thing to read. 

The novel ended up with everything ending well and neatly wrapped up, leaving me with a very unsettled feeling as this is not something Indian authors do often, nor was it particularly realistic in the context of the issues of this novel. 

There's nothing earth shattering in this book, but it does make one think on certain issues and how they could possibly affect us one day. It attempts to make Islam and Muslims accessible to those who aren't familiar, and does it in a lovely non-preaching or moralizing manner. All in all, a good way to pass an afternoon.

~Becky~

The Age of Kali - William Dalrymple

Non-Fiction
Verdict: Read It


I wasn't quite sure how I would like this book when I picked it up. British writers make me hesitate for some reason, especially when they write about India. Left over colonialist thoughts and such. William Dalrymple has made me change my mind - at least in terms of his writing. 

This is a collection of stories about things that he's seen - most of them not good things. The book is a bit older - 90's and such, so it's a bit out of date, but most of the issues that he highlights are still sore spots for India. 

The interesting part of this is that Dalrymple is a journalist. And he's a good one. He brings a beautiful impartiality when he tells stories. You know that some of the things he explains are not good, but he lets you decide why.  I'm not sure how, but he has somehow gotten a very intimate view of the subjects he's discussing as well. Not easy for a foreigner to understand the culture and underlying issues well enough to grasp the whole situation. It's refreshing and I feel still relevant even though it was written around 20 years ago. 

India has made huge strides and at the same time stood still. This book highlights that.

Do read it.

Becky

Upcountry Tales - Mark Tully

Fiction
Verdict: Read it

After getting bored (not really) at the bookstore hunting down new and interesting things to read, I asked my daughter for help. This was something she picked up, and as I have a fondness for short stories, I picked it up.

A collection of short-ish fiction stories, the author takes us into small villages in UP. As he mentions in his introduction, the people are neither ordinary nor uninspiring. His pride from growing up in such a village in UP is clear to see and heartwarming.

I thoroughly enjoyed these stories as they had realistic endings. They lacked the usual Indian pathos that everything will end in disaster and avoided the fairytail ending where everything ties up neatly. In otherwords, they were realistic stories and very well done. I grew up in a small town in the cornfields of Illinois in the United States. Learning about village life holds a strange fascination for me. Finding a realistic window into this world is surprisingly difficult for an outsider - even one who understands many things about India.

The author also delves into caste and caste politics, which I do not agree with but found fascinating to learn about anyhow. 

Definitely read this one. 

Becky

The Imam and the Indian - Amitav Ghosh

Non-Fiction
Verdict: It's difficult but read it.

I'll admit, I picked this up because it was recommended. That and I absolutely adore Amitav Ghosh's writing.

This was a different bowl of fish from his usual novels. It's a collection of nonfiction essays on various topics he has written. 

I will say this for Amitav Ghosh: He is a very intelligent man. The topics chosen for this compilation were of varied subjects and all delved deep into the subject he was holding forth on. None had an obvious point, but were so rich in details and culturally significant points. I loved it. 

It does get a little difficult to read at points as the details compile quickly and if you don't have an interest, it's dull. A few essays repeated information as well. This being said, it is a learning experience, especially for those interested in cultural foiables. 

Read it!

Becky