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~

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~

1Q84 - Haruki Murakami

 Fiction

Verdict: Read it for the challenge

This was the first novel from Haruki Murakami that I've read. I've been hearing a lot of hype around Murakami as a writer, so I decided to try it out.

Dear reader, this was one of the most confusing novels I've ever written. It's definitely a fantasy novel, drifting in and out of reality and never explicitly explaining the main plot line. I'm not going to go through the plot line because watching that unfold is literally the only redeeming feature in this novel.

It was well written and descriptive, but the main character fell flat with me - I couldn't find a thing interesting about her. I kept waiting for a hook or surprise, but just kept running into more confusing twists. It definitely felt like a fever dream. The plot does resolve by the end, but in the most unsatisfying way ever. The story just kind of ends. I wondered what in the world I got from reading it and spending time when it was done. Again, perhaps with this novel, I just missed the whole damn genius. I will try another Murakami to see if it's a style or an intentional choice for this novel. I'm not trying to crap on the author, I'm just so confused.

If you venture in, prepare for confusion.

~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~