Waiting at the Mountain Pass - Harmandeep Kaur Gill

Non-Fiction

Verdict: Read it.

Tibet and the Tibetan diaspora are rather politically charged topics. While the author wasn't being intentionally political, there were, of course, political topics that were touched upon.

Every culture has its ideas on death. As most Tibetans and displaced Tibetans are Buddhists, Buddhist philosophy informs their views on death. This book examines the philosophies that Tibetans have as they reach the end of their lives and die. The author does a very clinical and research-disciplined discussion on the topics, even while including stories from the Tibetan Diaspora itself. 

Tibet and displaced Tibetans aren't a population that is naturally accessible to me, so this was interesting to read. I enjoy reading different cultural interpretations of life evens as well. The author uses a few different diaspora locations, 2 of which I have been to during my time in India - Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh and Bylakuppe in Karnataka. The author does wander into the reasons for the diaspora and why it deeply affects displaced people. It is a diversion, but one I feel should be discussed more, so I won't nitpick on that.

The author also examines why this process can be a lonely and isolating one for many people, though I believe that's true for many people, not so many stay with family anymore. It's not the most feel-good topic, but it is a universal one. I feel it's a good read if you've read the Tibetan Book of the Dead, or as a pre-amble to that.

I won't comment on my own pre- or post-death philosophy, but there is something uniting about contemplating something everyone must pass through, but no one knows what's on the other side.

~Becky~

The City Under the City - Jeet Thayil

Poetry

Verdict: Confusing Read

As I mentioned a few posts back, this was a very confusing book of poetry. I think mainly because I am not able to connect with this type of poetry. That being said, it wasn't a long or hard read. Check it out if you like Jeet Thayil or confusing poetry. 

~Becky~

Fool Bahadur - Jayanath Pati

Fiction

Verdict: Read it

This was a short little novel with a cute jacket. The story is simple, but you can't help but be entertained. I can't even explain how many simple, middle-class uncles can fit in this character.  Don't expect the Iliad, but you won't be disappointed.

~Becky~

The Elsewhereians - Jeet Thayil

Auto Biographical

Verdict: Read it

I had previously explored a book of poetry from Jeet Thayil that I found extremely hard to connect to. This was an excellent autobiographical story, so I'm glad I stuck with him. 

This book goes through the consequences of a father's (implied) affair and the author's journey mid way though life to find the person that impacted the father so much. It's painful to read in spots, even though the author glosses over most of the emotional fallout that such a decision must have had on his wife and the family.

The story itself is interesting as the author enjoys his adventure. He extends a lot of grace to his family during a very difficult time. There are a lot of weird details that make their way in (lots about tunnels in Vietnam, ghosts). It's not a strictly chronological story, and it jumps here and there in a vaguely forward manner. 

I'm not doing it much justice because it's a convoluted book. Even with that, it's charming, and you want the writer to resolve whatever it is inside him that made him take that trip. 

Read it. Not all families are the same, but family systems often have themes everyone can relate to. It will touch you when you don't expect it.

~Becky~

Locking Down the Poor - Harsh Mander

Non-Fiction

Verdict: Read it because certain things need a voice

I'm starting something new - adding covers. Since I love book covers so much, I thought I would share them to maybe inspire you to try something new as well. 

COVID was a life-changing time for people around the world. Governments from all over the world made both good and terrible decisions while trying to keep their populations safe from a virus they neither understood nor were prepared for. India, of course, was no exception. It kept strict lockdown policies at a few points during the COVID pandemic, and this book examines some of the problems with how the government looked at people (particularly how it overlooked poor people and labourers) and how that still affects India today.

Just being honest: books that focus on persecuted populations in India tend to rub me the wrong way. There's a very specific tilting of information on this side of the line, too.  That being said, the effects on people who had little to no resources were real. Therefore, it's important to acknowledge it.  India, of course, has its fair share of crazy politics, and people both love and hate the ruling party - the same one that was there when COVID was happening. I also feel it's quite easy to sit back afterwards and criticise a government or ruling party after all is said and done. It would have been useful as a tool of retrospecting rather than blame.

The book walks step-by-step through some of the difficult results of locking down a poor population - no work, no food, and no way to travel back to villages to at least be with family. As with many other circumstances, the consequences for bucking the rules are harsher for those who are poor or considered less than. 

While the points in this book are definitely valid, Inda doesn't respond quickly to honest valid criticism. The country has been build systems that exists for reasons that are from from humanitarian. Changing these systems becomes impossible when money is the prime motivator and is directly connected with power. This leaves the reader (or at least this reader) hopelessly frustrated at valid points that will be ignored. It's worth the read if you want to see concrete examples of how the government and people in power view the poor in India. 

~Becky~

Virgin Gingelly - V Sanjay Kumar

 Fiction

Verdict: Read it just because it's weird.

I'm not sure if I'm reaching the end of the non-weird Indian contemporary literature, but a lot of what I've been reading recently is just odd. Not in a bad way necessarily, but either the author is quirky or he's excellent at making his main character quirky. I picked it up because I kept finding it on Pinterest, and the cover is eye catching in an ironic, irreverent way. Much like the writing. 

There's no one main protagonist in this book, it's a collection of motley characters, though that doesn't become apparent until much later, and they're a seem to be related to each other. Maybe not, but it seemed so to me. 

The writing style is definitely different from the mainstream Indian writing in the same way that Tamil movies have their own flavor when compared to Bollywood movies. (Don't come for me, I really enjoy Tamil movies!) 

Because it's a collection of vignettes, there isn't really a story line, just snippets here and there. I enjoyed it much more after I stopped trying to piece it together and make sense. Upon further consideration, what an Indian way of looking at it. 

I guess this novel wouldn't be for everyone, but it is well written and would probably tickle anyone who lives outside of the norm in Chennai where the norm is the only acceptable place to be. I enjoyed it a lot, though it took me a while to read and digest - not a long book, I just struggled to move at the pace the author set. 

Worth the effort.

~Becky~

Selected Short Stories - Rajinder Singh Bedi

Fiction

Verdict: Not the best

If you've read my blog in any capacity for an amount of time, you probably know that I love stories: short, medium or long. But short stories hold a special place for me. It's an art to tell a story well in fewer words. 

I picked this up as I've been hearing about Bedi's (moderate but noteable) contribution to Indian literature. So why not, let's give it a go. 

I did read one of the stories, Lajwanti, previously (and I believe saw a film adaptation as well) and enjoyed it. Honestly not many of the other stories resonated much with me and fell flat. I'm not sure if it was the author, or the more classical style. The stories seemed to wander on a bit for me. 

~Becky~

Deras - Santosh K. Singh

 Non-Fiction

Verdict - If North indian Religion and deras interest you

This was a non-fiction that I picked up to help me understand what Deras actually are, as I was researching the Dera Sacha Sauda. It's a non-fiction, and not a particularly quick-moving one. But it does accomplish what it sets out to - it explains Deras and the effect they have on the places they exist in. 

The book focuses on Punjab mainly, but does wander around a bit. The author goes into a few specific examples of Deras, cultures, effects on the locals, and inclusivity and the extra context is helpful.

I'm not a particularly religious person, so beyond the basic knowledge, it wasn't overly helpful or meaningful to me. It may be for a person who subscribes to that type of religious experience. 

Read this if you're interested in expanding your knowledge of religion in North India. Just keep in mind that all Indian religious discourse has an agenda; it's not neutral. 

~Becky~

Night in Delhi - Ranbir Sidhu

Fiction

Verdict: Read it!

This is the first novel I've read by Ranbir Sidhu, and I was very pleasantly surprised. Honestly, I was expecting something a bit more campy, but that was proved false. 

I don't remember what the main character's name is, as it's written in first person, but this novel is about the protagonist, his on-again, off-again, maybe pimp boyfried, and their piece of crap roommate. They go through a few vignets that feature a Delhi with alternate sexual realities. 

I very much enjoyed this novel for a few reasons. I'm pretty open about Delhi being one of the worst places in India to be (and of all the places I've been in my life), and the author has done an absolutely brilliant job of describing the fuck all, dirty attitude that Delhi fosters. The characters were well done and not complex - another noticeable trait one can pick up in Delhi (yes, yes, other places too, don't come for me Delhiites, it's a preference). Some people don't have depth or redeeming characteristics; they're just pieces of shit. Some people have talents and depth that even their families and lovers don't know about. 

What I found especially touching was the simplicity and acceptance of different varieties of love. Temporary loves, long term longing loves, unrequitted loves, the main character manages to cover a lot of bases without judgement.

In a country to fetishizes the traditional hetero normative journey of dating the opposite sex and getting married to have kids, this was a refreshing, normalizing read about letting people love who they want, when and how they want, without shoving it in the reader's face or being preachy about it. Very well done. I'd love to read more from Ranbir Sidhu if the quality is like this.

~Becky~

Weight Loss - Upamanyu Chatterjee

Fiction

Verdict: Eh, if you're a pervert

This is the first book I've read by Upamanyu Chatterjee. There was a lot of hype on Pinterest about it. And the cover is cool.  Perhaps there's a lot I'm missing - like Rushdie - but I don't think so. 

The book follows the protagonist, Bhola, through his lifelong views and experiences with sex. Bhola is bisexual (or anything sexual to be honest), which is refreshing for an Indian novel. It just so happens the next book I'm reviewing has a bisexual protagonist too. Weird coincidence, I guess. 

Anyhow, we follow Bhola's life and experiences. I found it extremely unsettling to see life through this lens, as everything else is portrayed as trivial and not worth depth. His childhood family, college experiences, marriage, future, and even his child come way, way back behind his focus on sex. I kept waiting for there to be a point or plot line, but outside of sex, there wasn't one. It struck me as very, very sad. Either the character has a weird obsession with sex or hasn't engaged much with life in general. Perhaps this is my 80's conservative, US, white upbringing, but sex is a part of life, not all of it. 

The writing was well done. If the author intended to skewer an Indian obsession with sex here, it succeeded for me - I felt disgust for the main character. Again, I can't decide if this is genius or accidental.  I also wasn't sure what to make of Chatterjee's subtle commentary on classism. It was either brilliantly done or horrifyingly normalized. I feel disgust from the fact that it's not at all clear.

I feel there are better portrayals of lower and middle-class lives, sex, and obsessions. I will try another of Chatterjee's books just to satisfy my curiosity about genius or oblivious.

~Becky~                          

The Education of Yuri: Jerry Pinto

Fiction

Verdict: Read it!

I had read Em and Giant Hoom by Jerry Pinto, so when I saw this at the Bookshop I knew I must read it. 

The Education of Yuri is a coming of age book. One of the things that Jerry Pinto is brilliant at is making his characters real and oh-so-relatable, often times in ways that we wish we did not have to. The novel follows Yuri through his adolescence - an experience fraught with insecurity, learning, growing, and general angst that most of us have had. 

Watching Yuri wander through friendships, romance, sexual awakening, and eventual separation and adulthood is borderline painful. Because it's so relatable. That being said, Yuri is a likeable guy, even when he feels like an alien or a failure - I was cheering for him. Just give it time, this sucks for everyone. I think that was the point Jerry Pinto was getting at but he did it well. It's not a long or hard read, but I find Pinto to be a talented writer worth your time.

Read it!

~Becky~

The Newly Weds: Mansi Choksi

 Non Fiction

Verdict: Meh

I think I picked this novel up at the bookstore. I'm not a hardcore romance novel reader, but I like some occasionally. Not that this was a romance novel. I haven't read anything by Mansi Choksi before, so this was my introduction.

The author follows three couples in India through non-traditional marriage paths. That means non-traditional, non-heterosexual, and across religions. It's a tricky subject in India and one that people still have strong and sometimes unfortunate mindsets about. The outcomes aren't always good.

That being said, I believe people should love and marry whomever they wish. I don't believe families have the right to interfere, nor take revenge on couples when they marry outside of the traditional manner. 

The couples that Choksi highlights aren't all that out of the ordinary for today's world. There's nothing bizarre about them, which makes the circumstances more sad. The author seems to take pride in asking certain questions and forcing the reader to think. I'm all for asking questions and making the reader think, but trumpeting about it is a little offputting for me. I'm sure that Choksi doesn't have the answers for those three couples or society on how to reach a suitable compromise for everyone. The book ends without any solid resolution, which is to be expected, but left me wondering what the point was. This isnt' a new subject here. Everyone knows that these circumstances are still difficult inspite of progress, your questions are not new ones. 

It's a decent time pass and you want the couples to succeed and be happy together, but there's nothing here that hasn't been done before. 

~Becky~

The Greatest Indian Stories Ever Told: Arunava Sinha

Fiction Short Stories

Verdict: Meh

I'm not sure if this book is related to the Series of greatest this and that stories ever told, but it had a definite familiar ring to it. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the stories in the state-related books. It might just be me, but they seemed rather generic. 

If you're new to Indian short stories, this isn't a horrible place to start, but there is definitely room for improvement after that. 

Read it....or don't.

~Becky~

Tomb of Sand: Geetanjali Shree

Fiction

Verdict: Read it

This is one of those large books. The ones that take forever to read. At least it took me quite a while relatively. I was about a third of the way through before my interest was well and truely hooked too.I believe this was a bookstore find and the first I have read by Geetanjali Shree.

Long, but worth it. It's a 2022 Booker Prize winner, which usually means worth reading. This is another flavor of the partition literature that ranges from amazing to awful in India. I enjoyed the novel. It's also a bit of a soft-peddaled manifesto. The mother is done listening to other people and is going to do what she would like. Not in a hurtful way, but in an "I Need to do this" way. It examines intergenerational assumptions and turns some of them upside down.

I enjoyed the protagonist a lot. I enjoyed cheering for me and while she wasn't perfect, she was human, relateable, and I wanted her to achieve what she set out to do. That's a pretty brilliant win for an author. I feel that selling the main character is half the battle of getting someone to read your book. Take it on vacation, take the time to read some daily, but do read this - well worth it.

Read it!

~Becky~

The Monkey's Wound: Hajra Masroor

Urdu Fiction Short Stories

Read it!

This I believe was recommended in the paper and I was lucky enough to find it in the bookstore. With such an eye-catching title, I had to indulge.

Urdu literature has it's own unique flavor the same way that other areas do. I know I repeat this a lot, but it's something that continually tickles my fancy. The Monkey's Wound is a collection of short stories from Urdu Literature. This is the first work from Hajra Masroor I've read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

The stories are women-centric. They are relateable to most women (I feel) and portray an average life that can be stretched in a few different ways to include a lot of people. I won't go into each short story, but there is an art to developing a collection of stories. Tahira Naqvi has done a wonderful job translating this work and I'm not sure who decided what would go into this collection of stories, but they fit together beautifully. It's not a short book, but well worth the time investment.

Read it!

~Becky~

The power to Forgive: Avinuo Kire

Fiction Short Stories

Read it!

This book wasn't what I thought it would be from reading the back. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it, I did. Immensely. 

The North East of India has its own brand of writers and literature, a very distinct flavor that is different from mainland India. Different experiences and culture I guess. It's challenging for me to read, but I enjoy it. This book is written from a Naga viewpoint and was an interesting counterpoint from the army book in Mizoram I had mentioned in a recent post.

The stories are very reflective and abstract. They're also quite relatable on a human level and address basic human emotions. I feel that looking back and wondering if you handled a difficult situation in the best way is a very human experience.  There's not too much else I can say but this without getting into the individual stories, which I never do in my reviews. Definitely a good read.

Read it!

~Becky~

If I Have to be a Soldier: Nikhil Alva

Fiction

Verdict: Read it!

This is the first book I have read by Nikhil Alva. I can't remember if I found this at the bookstore or in the paper. 

Nikhil Alva takes us through a war-torn North East India. The protagonist is a preacher's son on a mission from the army to interrogate the main rebel - a childhood friend. It's one of those books where it starts with clear good and bad guys but ends up a muddy mess by the end. Much like real life. Good guys have bad parts, bad guys have good parts. 

The book takes us through the hunt for the rebel and then the inevitable situation where they are stuck together and have to work together to reach civilization. During the trek, they discover some things weren't understood correctly in the past, the other guy isn't evil, etc. Yes, it's a bit tropy. But the pacing is good and the story line is solid. Aside from the obvious, in-your-face bit about everyone just being people, there are some interesting things to observe. 

I happen to love books that don't portray the army as a perfect or morally superior entity. It's not and should not be portrayed as such, even if the author is nationalistic. In a place as messy as the NorthEast of India, it was refreshing to see simple themes of humanity shine through. 

I won't say the book was perfect. As I said, tropy and a little preachy at times, but as far as army and war books go, not a bad choice. 

Read it!

~Becky~

Burning Roses in my Garden: Taslima Nasreen

Poetry

Verdict: Read it!

It appears I was on a poetry streak. I assure you, it wasn't intentional.  I've read other things that Taslima Nasreen has written and I like her work a lot, which led me to pick this book up. 

It's an easy book, I think it took me about an hour to read. But what an enjoyable hour that was. I was disappointed when it ended because I wanted to go on reading and wallowing in the experience. 

Poetry is such a subjective experience. These poems were very simple and relatable. I enjoy that immensely, but each reader must have his or her own preferences.  I don't expound much upon poetry that I read because I'm no expert. At best I'm an amateur dabbler and amateur dabblers should pontificate too much. 

Read it!

~Becky~

Feminisms: Arpita Mukhopadhyay

Non-Fiction

Verdict: Read if you dare

I believe this was another newspaper recco from the same article. I don't run into too many feminist texts that are academically oriented. Most of the feminist books, rants, and manifestos that I come across are largely anecdotal and emotion based. 

Arpita Mukhopadhyay takes apart feminism like a dissection. It's a methodical, clinical, exacting approach. I did get through it, but true to most scientific works, I ended the book wondering what the point of the dissection was aside from defining. 

I'm a feminist in my own way. And I support anyone who cares to be a feminist in his or her own way, aside from fake feminism to confuse people - that sucks. After I read this, I felt that the soul of what feminism is was missing from this book. It's a journey that has been long, bloody, and diverse. Reducing it down to the clinical discussion of definitions, history, and dry examples robs it if the emotions it triggers for what it represents to so many. You can't separate feminism from emotion just like you can't separate sex from an interaction with another human being. Well, hopefully it's a human!

Arpita Mukhopadhyay's book is excellent from a clinical and academic standpoint. She's clearly very smart and very methodical. But I wondered what feminism meant to her. What are we to draw as conclusions from all this data? Perhaps that's the point. Science doesn't always tell us what to think, it tells us facts and sometimes certain conclusions are inevitable. I suggest you read this simply from an academic standpoint if you support feminism. You'll have to reach your own conclusions, which hopefully you've started developing anyhow.

Read it!

~Becky~

Restless Lives: Harish Bhat

Poetry

Verdict: Read it

I believe this was another newspaper recommendation. I haven't read anything by Harish Bhat previously. This is a collection of poetry meant to slow people down and calm them. I don't know if I personally believe that poetry can do that, or that this particular collection of poetry did that for me, but I enjoyed reading it.

Read it!

~Becky~