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
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
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