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~