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

Sleeping on Jupiter - Anuradha Roy

Fiction
Verdict: Read it if you have time

Anuradha Roy has taken the style of having different threads and weaving them slowly together throughout the story. While I very much enjoy this style, it can get frustrating in the middle as finding the links can be both difficult. 

The main characters (and there are many even though the story is clearly about one girl) are blessedly normal. Spanning economic classes, ages, and foreigners, this book brings an awful lot together. 

It's a mystery, so I won't give much away here. I will say that it was fun to read and worth the time.

Becky

Hangwoman - K.R. Meera

Fiction
Verdict: A must read

This book was given to me by my daughter - she had bought it but it was too difficult for her to read. Since I'm game for anything, I read it.

I'm very rarely left stunned by Indian authors anymore. This book was a powerhouse. As the title suggests, the protagonist is a young, Bengali woman. I am not usually a fan of Bengali settings. Our protagonist is the daughter of a notorious hangman. In fact, she comes from a long line of hangmen and women. Much is made of how the son of the family (who lives and dies a very sad way due to the family business) will not be able to carry on the tradition. 

The main character's father plays a very big part in the story. He's a drunk, angry man and is used very often to contrast against her. Most of the time, it seems he is out to make a little money any way he can. This is how she ends up being a hangwoman - the father leverages her gender to get her a job and make some money. He even sells their story to the press and tries to sell her to a journalist who shows interest in her for his own selfish reasons. He's no hero, but he is a dominating influence on the story line.

You can feel the tension going up through the book as the execution date comes closer. This is masterfully done. The main character weaves family history and narratives through the story as she moves inevitably towards her fate. 

Far from being a wilting flower herself, she begins to take control of her own destiny as the story progresses. The romance with the journalist becomes clear to her as one where he is using her and she ends up making him dance to her tune. She also begins to slowly uncurl her father's domineering control of her life and make her own decisions. 

The setting is different in that the family is poor. The author neither glorifies this nor bombards us with examples - it just is. Death is an atmosphere for the family. They are hangmen and live nearby a burning ghat.

It's not at all clear through the story if the main character will be able to fulfill her destiny and step into her father's shoes. In the end she does, but it's a counter climactic moment. The story wanders a bit after that as if all the characters are at a loss of what to do next. 

It's not an easy read - especially for those who have no context into Indian authors, history, and culture. But for those who do, it's an amazing read. Try it.

Becky

French Lover - Taslima Nasrin

Fiction
Verdict: Interesting, yet depressing

I can't quite remember why I picked this book to read - I believe it was recommended to me.  

The protagonist is an Indian woman with a past who has accepted an arranged marriage to escape from the rumors and problems at home. He lives very comfortably in France and she moves to be with him. She does not know him well, and they really are ill-suited for each other. After a spate of uncomfortable confrontations and traditional minded unmatched expectations from him, she leaves and moves in with a co-worker.  

She wanders through life and job, re-finding herself and generally being content. Then she meets the french lover. Life is good and interesting. They have their ups and downs, but are generally happy. As the story progresses, we see our heroine slowly losing herself once again and being sucked into mind fuck games - such as constant comparisons with a wife she knew nothing about.

In the end he ends up hating her and cursing her, because he feels like he has her. There is no longer a challenge.

Nasrin's protagonist was portrayed brilliantly. She is both courageous and flawed, brave and naive. The husband and the lover were also portrayed in an all too read sense. This book was incredibly hard for me to read as a result. After my relationship history, I think that Nasrin probably had similar encounters with men in her life - the descriptions just ring too true and too vivid. 

It also opened up insecurities in me that I wasn't aware I still harbored. Will he end up hating me? Does he just like me because I'm exotic? I've tried not to linger on these thoughts, but as with anyone who finds themselves married to a stranger, time doesn't give a sense of security all the time. 

Read it if you want your relationship naivety cherry popped, but it's a difficult one.

Becky

The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera

Fiction
Verdict: Meh

When I moved out of American Fiction and expanded to Indian authors, the differences in outlook knocked me sideways. For some reason, it never occured to me that European authors would have their own flavor. This book is just one example I've had of that. I can't even decide if I liked it or not - which is quite the statement for me. While we can't pigeon hole groups of people, mindset affects storytelling and different places have different mindsets.

Kundera's novel traces through the life of two couples and the ebb and flow of those relationships. While it's interesting from the viewpoint that relationships are seen in a very different light, the casual nature of the relationships is hard to digest. The idea that connections last but relationships don't always. The over defined sense of self and ease of letting go when the situation changes.

It was certainly educational, if an uncomfortable read for me. There were no major shocks in the plot line, but the subtle tension of will something happen or not was definitely there.

Read it. If nothing else, you'll ponder your own relationships for a while.

Becky

Tell me a Story - Rupa Bajwa

Fiction
Verdict: Read it

It's no surprise. I have a firmly established fetish for stories about average people that explain big things about culture. This book fits that mold perfectly and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Rupa winds a story around a lower middle class family living in Amritsar and how their fortunes and family come and go. There's no fireworks, or dramatic story twists, heros, or villians. It's just a girl that works in a parlor living with her aging father, brother, and his wife and son. They have money problems and things aren't always good.

The reason why this format appeals to me so much is that the characters feel real to me. It's like peaking in a window and observing lives without being a peeping Tom. Since this type of thing fascinates me endlessly, I very much enjoyed this book.

If it fascinates you, or you're looking for additional cultural knowledge on lower middle income Indian families, then by all means read it. If you're already familiar with this, it will probably come off a wee bit dull. My vote is read it.