The Lives of Others - Neel Mukherjee

 Fiction

Verdict: Read It (3/5)

Overview:

Another Bookworm find this novel is the first one I've read from Neel Mukherjee

This novel covers a great deal about Village Life. It is one of the multigenerational stories that I very much enjoy. 

What I Enjoyed:

As with most multigenerational stories, there is a lot of detail that comes along by chance as you continue to meet characters. The different roles and statuses of children become obvious as the reader understands the structure of the house and the placement of the inhabitants. It's a very crude but accurate commentary about India's obsession with status, even among families. 

What I Disliked:

Because there were so many characters, there wasn't as much effort taken to develop them into well-rounded personalities. Perhaps that was the point, but it feels rather like watching a series of photos go by rather than watching a movie. I am either hit or miss with Bengali authors/writing flavor and this just missed with me. 

Summary:

There are other novels that portray the same themes in a better manner. It's a heavy book to just be a so/so novel, but that's simply my opinion. 

 

~Becky~

 

The City of Good Death - Priyanka Champaneri

Fiction

Verdict: Read It (4/5)

Overview:

Another Bookworm find this novel is the first one I've read from Priyanka Champaneri.

The book opens with a family that has chosen to run a death hostel in Banares. As we come to understand what that means exactly, a long-lost cousin turns up dead, a ghost inhabits the hostel, and the guy who runs the hostel is forced to confront his past. The family he leaves behind, the girl his family told him to marry, and the love he had for his cousin are beautifully woven into the main plot.

What I Enjoyed:

Indians have a penchant for excellent storytelling, and this was indeed an excellent story. The story slowly unwinds, all the way until the end, leaving you contemplating many things along the way. Death rituals fascinate me (I'm an atheist) and the idea of a "Good Death" also was a new one for me. The author effortlessly captures what it looks like for an Indian who doesn't necessarily have the same beliefs but must cater to those beliefs no matter how silly it may seem. The slowly revealed flashbacks are an interesting insight and make the reader wonder how the protagonist appears so....normal. His background is nothing short of traumatic and his brother's death brings that to the forefront, as new trauma is known to do. It also highlighted the distinctly unique phenomenon of family lies that have long-standing consequences that come back out and haunt people. The characters do not seem well-developed at first, but the author has taken the time to unravel them by giving clues about family background as the novel goes on. Indians view trauma and its reappearing effects with a much more natural view than the Western world. It was refreshing to see trauma appear in a book in a non-forced, non fake way.

What I Disliked:

The supernatural element of a ghost rattling pots to make a point was something that was never explained. I'm not usually fond of the supernatural explanation when a simple one might do, but this episode did serve a purpose in the plot, so I'm inclined to excuse it. There were a few spots that dragged a bit, but in light of the entire work, I'm willing to excuse that as well.

Summary:

This was a contemplative read, as is anything that deals with existential matters. Even so, it's an extremely enjoyable read. It's not a tiny book. It will take a while, especially if you take the time to absorb the details and consider some of the non-obvious things the author is trying to say. Read it!

 

~Becky~

 

Blood Brothers - MJ Akbar

Fiction

Verdict: Read It (3/5)

Overview:

Brief Note: Ironically, I read this before and didn't even realize it until I was making my entry into my list of books read and checking if I read anything from MJ Akbar before. This is what happens when you read too much. I'm going to review it anyway because I don't think I did before.

Blood Brothers is yet another novel that I picked up from Bookworm. I'm not sure what made me pick it up. This is the first book I've read by MJ Akbar

The time just prior to and during partition is well-tread ground for good reason. This book is a multigenerational novel about a family that has moved to Bengal outside one of the famous Jute Mills and how the events unfolded around them during and after partition. They are decently well off thanks to a smart grandfather. The family has influence in the community and helps to avert the community tensions that plagued many other places in Calcutta during partition. 

What I Enjoyed:

The novel is well-written and easy to understand. MJ Akbar does a masterful job of splitting his attention between character development and historical events. While a little out of the ordinary, Akbar managed to find a balance between hope and being believable in terms of avoiding community bloodshed. 

What I Disliked:

I would have liked a little more detail on the family relationships. While the importance of the historical events is undeniable, the effects on families and their relationships can't be ignored either. I felt the father's character development could have gone into more depth. There were a few slightly slow sections.

Summary:

It took me quite some time to finish this novel for the 2nd time. There are very few novels I will voluntarily read twice. I would not read this a third time. That being said, this is a suitable contender for a reader who is not familiar with Calcutta and partition. Read it!

 

~Becky~

  

The Book of Gold Leaves - Mirza Waheed

Fiction

Verdict: Read it

This isn't the first book or even the 5th that I've read on some of the travesties that have occured and are still occuring in Kashmir. It never gets easier to read or digest.

The novel itself is an easy read. It's an easily identifiable version of Romeo and Juliet or Laila Majnu. As with most other content about Kashmiris, I found myself almost holding my breath for the inevitable tragedy that occurs just after the author makes you feel you know the character or right before the story ends. This book held true to that pattern. I still think that these types of books are worth reading. Not for the Romeo and Juliet vibe, but because the entire of Kashmir is littered with tragedies and one can't just avoid it because it's uncomfortable. Novels like this also give some of the social and personal context that affects individuals, not just military/country/general population. I also feel individual stories give a great deal of perspective that's not offered by media or official channels; it's often seen dramatically different from an individual perspective.  Experiences also can be vastly different depending on one's family, religious community, job, and social or economic status. To put it simply, it's a very complicated problem that is best understood from as many angles as possible. 

I've been living in India now for 12 years. I too have been caught up in the romantic idea of Kashmir and its beautiful scenery, as well as trying to untangle the complicated web of how it evolved into what is the scenario today. Obviously it's deeply interesting to me in a way that it might not be to others. 

Read it!

~Becky~