It is never a good idea to review a work of literature based on memory. Subtle nuances and finer detailing of characterizations are lost. That is why I prefer to call this a remembrance of a reading experience (and also a cheat to getting the writing part out of the way before plunging into the next book). Other... Continue Reading →
1/3 Murakami, 1/3 Johnson, 2/3 Rain
1/3 rd Murakami There is an Indian author named Chetan Bhagat. A newly popular writer with simplistic stereotypical stories that do not warrant much attention other than to calibrate maturity levels of readers. Not exactly the deepest fellow doing the rounds in Indian Literature, if you catch my drift. Haruki Murakami reminds me of Chetan Bhagat. Emo kids, mysterious... Continue Reading →
Slaughter House 5
Kurt Vonnegut bases his cult novel Slaughter House 5 on the premise that no one should write about massacre with relish. He writes with flourish, introduces layering and quirkiness but there is no love for the subject. So he is true to his word. But in doing that did he pre empt his own failure?Since... Continue Reading →
The Master and Margarita – Russo-Indian Mirror Images of Censorship
Pardon my scandalous irreverence. I apologize because I am going to say something that I know I am not qualified to state. This book's literary merit is overrated (unless probably one reads it in it's original form). I read the translation of Diana Burgin and Katherine Tiernan O'Connor and everything that follows reflects that version. Fantastic Plot... Continue Reading →
The God of Small Things – A Second Review
In my first review of The God of Small Things, I dismissed the book as unworthy of a Booker Prize. I was harsh in the review because I felt the book was not good. While I still stick to it, I wanted to address the content of the book, which while done to death, and is... Continue Reading →
The God of Small Things – Arundati Roy
Ayemenam, Kerala and the Booker Prize Roy's book The God of Small Things (TGOST) catapulted her to international fame. A book that won her the Booker prize and which had everyone raving, one which drew comparisons with Salman Rushdie's Mighnight's Children. It was an expose on the Malayali Syrian Christian family and of the oppressive happenings of a family,... Continue Reading →