Neither Night nor Day

Ficton

Verdict: Read it!

This is a collection of stories from Pakistani women. In a country that doesn't value women, forget about their writing and stories; this was a surprisingly well-curated group. I enjoyed each of the stories, though many of them made me angry in my independent little feminist heart. I won't harp on this, but it is there. 

The stories cover a broad range of experiences and emotions. I took the time to savor them and really contemplate how they came to be written. This small book is well worth the time it takes to read and consider if you can find it.

~Becky~

Bantering with Bandits - Annie Zaidi

Non-fiction

Verdict: Mixed Bag

I expected something different from this book. Honestly, that's my fault for having expectations. It has a good cover, and I was expecting some stories, or fiction or something rather than journalism, which is what I got.  It was good journalism on an interesting subject, but a bit dry for my tastes.

India has a long and illustrious history of people who operate outside of the law (Thugees, which is where the English term "thug" came from). The book goes into some of the history and badlands of India, with the author going for first-hand encounters and conversations with a dying type of outlaw. As with many bad guys, legends often outstrip reality, and those who lived through those times have a more vibrant memory of them than can be conveyed accurately. 

I found the nostalgia weird. I would have understood if the author came from one such family, but hunting down grandpas to reminisce just seemed like an odd choice to me. The author made a point to bring up being a woman in a man's world and the dangers of her travel.  While this is a completely valid point, it loses a bit of oomph when the author chose to travel places where she was warned not to. This isn't a woman centered thing - if the locals tell you not to go somewhere for pete's sake, there's a reason. You may, as the author did, find perfectly charming helpful people. You also may find yourself in trouble that you can't get out of with no help in sight. May the odds be ever in your favor. 

I'm stuck between supporting the recording of actual historical experiences with the writing in this book I guess. It took me quite a while to get through and while there was a plot, there was also a lot of meandering and pondering that took place too. 

I guess if you're looking for a less sensationalized coverage of thug culture in India, you could do worse than Zaidi's book, but don't expect any wild twists and turns.

~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~

Taatung Tatung - Vaishali Shroff

Non Fiction

Verdict: Read It (5/5)

Overview:

I believe I picked this book because of a recommendation in the paper. 

Revolving around language in India, this collection of short stories sheds light on some very interesting aspects of different languages that exist in India. 

What I Enjoyed:

The stories are short, but well-written. Covering a variety of different topics, there's something for everyone to learn.

What I Disliked:

There was not much I disliked in this book.

Summary:

I'm a sucker for stories, long and short. Cultural trivia and how things came to be also interest me a great deal. I would recommend this for anyone to read.

 

~Becky~

 

The Anatomy of Hate - Revati Laul

NonFiction

Read it

Revati Laul takes us through the riots in Gujarat in the form of shoft stories about people who were involved. It's less about the events and more about the sentiment and mentality behind them. To be sure, the Gujarat riots were a horrific occurence and one that left a big scar. The author's ability to make it personal for some of those involved can help to explain why mentalities and actions occured as they did.

Reading this made me deeply angry at how easy it is to manipulate simple people and how India was manipulated and fooled into the communal violence routine it readily embraces to this day. It's unnecesary and a shame. Like anywhere with uneducatied masses, creating enmity and communal identities results in mindsets that are difficult to change. As someone who grew up in the United states, watching the changes in socially accepted behaviors and mindsets from a mainly uneducated mass of people is hard to swallow. It's hard to swallow knowing that news media and politicians engineered this mindset - the same as India. 

The stories in this book aren't shocking or outrageous, they're just about ordinary people driven by their upbringing and mindset. They're not necessarily bad people, but they did bad things. It makes one wonder what we ourselves would do in such a situation  or even our neighbors should they be different from us. It's anathema - individualist thoughts in such a deeply community minded country. This is a definite read - it personalizes and gives accountability for the tragedy that happened.

Read it.

~Becky~

Love in Chakiwara - Muhammad Khalid Akhtar

Fiction: Stort Stories

Verdict: Read it

I've spoken about how I'm a fan of short stories, especially those woven around each other. This was a delight to find. I haven't really read any Pakistani writers before. It was familiar, but gloriously nuanced in a different way than Indian writers.

Chakiwara is a small town, just like any other. It has a roster of odd characters, just like any quality small town. The author walks us through a series of just absurd enough stories. They're hilarious in a way that makes me green with envy. It takes a while to absorb and appreciate.

I won't go into the details of each of the stories, but if you're looking for an entry into Pakistani Urdu humor, you could find much worse places to dive in. Akhtar is a delight. 

Read it!

~Becky~

India's Bravehearts - Lt Gen Satish Dua

NonFiction

Read it

I'm not usually a fan of military novels or biographies. To be quite honest, I can't remember why I picked this book up. However, not sorry I did.

At least for the course of this memoire, Lt Gen Satish Dua came across as a man with a glass of whiskey and some fond stories to tell. It didn't come across as cramming the military down readers throats, which is one reason I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found his insights interesting after going through some very tough situations. I've seen the movie Uri and he describes what it was like to react to such a situation, as well as tactical necessities to answer it. 

It's a light and pleasant read. I'll never be a fan of military books, but this one is a good read.

Read it!

~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~

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~

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